Superintendent Calls For His Own Impeachment Process, Lawmakers Say That Won't Happen

Amid calls for an investigation into the State Department of Education and State Superintendent Ryan Walters, Walters is calling on the state house to begin impeachment efforts. Walters, claims he hasn’t done anything wrong. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office tells News 9 that Gov. Stitt called a meeting between him, Senate and House leadership, and Walters Thursday. In the meeting, Stitt asked Walters to tone down the political rhetoric and get to the bottom of the funding situation. 

The meeting was less than 24 hours before Walters called the news conference, where he called house leadership “political liars.” 

“I am calling on Speaker McCall and Mark McBride to begin their impeachment proceedings Monday,” said Walters. “If you have any evidence for these lies, provide them over to Senate leadership, and let's start that impeachment investigation Monday morning.” 

While the superintendent is pushing for an impeachment trial, House Speaker Charles McCall said in a statement:

“As Speaker of the House, I remain steadfast in my position: I will not overturn the will of the people, regardless of any demands made.” 

We talked with News 9 political analyst, Scott Mitchell, about the investigation process. 

“He (McCall) said very clearly the voters of Oklahoma elected superintendent Walters to do his job. and there is no appetite in the house to overturn that,” said Mitchell. 

Mitchell says there is no appetite from the state house to begin the impeachment process, and there is also no possibility of a trial starting Monday. 

“It's not going to happen. It couldn't happen,” said Mitchell. 

Lawmakers have made it clear that they are looking at an investigation, not an impeachment. This week, House Speaker Charles McCall approved an investigation by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, or LOFT, looking into “alleged OSDE funding disbursement issues.” 

“LOFT was created by the senate and the house under Pro Tem Treat and Speaker McCall a few years ago to try to make the investigation of how money is spent or transparent, and also so that the legislature would know what was going on,” said Mitchell. 

Speaker McCall says, “This investigation is about ensuring taxpayer dollars are properly allocated, not targeting individuals.” 

“These sorts of investigations are not meant to be speedy. There's due process. People have rights and if you move quickly then it looks political. So, to try to entice the leadership into doing something fast. Nah,” said Mitchell. 

Full statement from Speaker McCall:

“As Speaker of the House, I remain steadfast in my position: I will not overturn the will of the people, regardless of any demands made. 

While Superintendent Walters may desire a path toward his own impeachment, my focus is firmly on the LOFT investigation into the Oklahoma State Department of Education. This investigation is about ensuring taxpayer dollars are properly allocated, not targeting individuals. It is essential we understand why school districts are not receiving their required funding. 

My advice to Superintendent Walters is to prioritize getting resources to Oklahoma schools and improving our state's education rankings, rather than engaging in political theatrics.”