House Speaker won't consider impeachment investigation into Ryan Walters without more Republican support
State Rep. Mark McBride wrote McCall asking for an impeachment investigation into Ryan Walters, who has held the state superintendent position since January 2023.
State Rep. Mark McBride wrote McCall asking for an impeachment investigation into Ryan Walters, who has held the state superintendent position since January 2023.
State Rep. Mark McBride wrote McCall asking for an impeachment investigation into Ryan Walters, who has held the state superintendent position since January 2023.
Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall says he will need more signatures from Republicans before he proceeds with an impeachment investigation into State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
On Tuesday, State Rep. Mark McBride wrote McCall asking for an impeachment investigation into Walters. In the letter that has been signed by 20 other Republicans as of Tuesday afternoon, McBride wrote that he has "grown increasingly concerned about the budget performance, spending priorities, and transparency" surrounding the Oklahoma State Department of Education since Walters took office in January of 2023.
"Conditions at the Department, the manner in which the Superintendent and the Board of Education have treated members of the Legislature from both parties and from both the House of Representatives and the State Senate has been, to say the least, unprofessional, beneath the dignity of a statewide elected official, and most importantly, contrary to the best interest of the taxpayers and students of the State of Oklahoma," McBride, the chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education, wrote.
McCall responded by saying the complaints brought up in the letter "are best addressed in Committee hearings" and that the Legislature does not conduct criminal investigations.
"I take elections very seriously, and anyone who was duly elected by the people from this state should not be removed from that office, given to them by the people, unless absolutely required by the constitution," McCall wrote. "Unless and until 51 or more Republicans sign the letter and request the investigative committee be formed, I will not consider the request."
Oklahoma lawmakers have called for multiple impeachment investigations into Walters, but this marks the first time Republicans called for an investigation. None of the other calls have resulted in an investigation.
Some of the recent actions McBride lists in the letter include Walters allegedly denying entry to members of McBride's committee into executive sessions of the Board of Education; refusal or significant delays in answering questions from McBride's committee and from state Sen. Adam Pugh; not complying with legislative budgetary directives regarding administering school security funding; failing to turn over information about the expenditure of state funds for travel; failing to fulfill numerous records requests in a timely manner; and defying the Legislature's appropriations authority by refusing to provide required funding for critical asthma inhalers.
Walters claims reports that he and the Oklahoma State Department of Education took back funds for school security are untrue and that they are looking into the legality of whether those funds roll over from year to year.
"To say school funds, school security funds were taken away is a complete lie. No funds were taken away. The question is legally can funds rollover or not," Walters said.
Oklahoma lawmakers have called for multiple impeachment investigations into Walters, but this marks the first time Republicans called for an investigation. None of the other calls have resulted in an investigation.
"If they decide to move forward with that, it would be the most unprecedented move in state history to undermine the will of the Oklahoman voters," Walters responded while on KOCO 5 News at 9 a.m. "We're going to continue to put parents and grandparents in charge of their kids' education. We're going to continue to put Oklahoma on a path to be successful in education. So, I will never back down to moderate Republicans partnering with Democrats to try to overturn the will of the people. We're not going to allow it."
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