A crowd gathered on Saturday for a rally focused on ousting Oklahoma’s controversial schools superintendent from his elected post through impeachment.
Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, and Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, were among speakers at an “Impeach Ryan Walters Citizens Rally” at the state Capitol. Organized by a group called Oklahomans For Democracy Inc., the rally drew about 75 people.
“Ryan believes he was anointed by God to be Oklahoma’s pastor for public education,” Fugate told the crowd. “He believes in a one size fits none, government-enforced religion that will somehow save our kids. Let’s be real — forcing our kids to recite the Ten Commandments and say a prayer in school is not going to make them any more Christian than did putting ‘In God We Trust’ make a change by putting it on our money.”
Walters, a Republican, recently held a news conference at the Capitol where he challenged fellow Republicans House Speaker Charles McCall and state Rep. Mark McBride to begin impeachment hearings. Walters told news reporters that he is the victim of political attacks based on lies with no evidence. His remarks came after House Republican leaders said they planned to conduct an investigation into his spending practices and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.