Swadley’s Bar-B-Q has come out swinging on Facebook, posting a list of questions for state officials who are suing the company for breach of contract after the state hired the restaurateur to renovate and operate six dining areas at state parks.
The list was posted on the social media site on the same day that Swadley’s argued in a lawsuit that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism owes the company $2.6 million. A few days later, the state unsealed grand jury indictments against owner Brent Swadley and two others alleging conspiracy and fraud.
Many of the questions in the Facebook post are related to points that Swadley’s made in its Feb. 5 motion.
In the Facebook post, Swadley’s describes itself as a political scapegoat and included an image of the biblical David slaying Goliath. It echoes the court filing by blaming state Tourism Department officials for misspent funds and using Swadley’s to divert attention away from the agency’s mismanagement.
A spokesman for the state attorney general’s office, which is representing the Tourism Department, declined to comment and said the state will respond to Swadley’s court motion at the appropriate time.