A Republican wants to start impeachment proceedings against Ryan Walters. Could others follow?

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — For the first time on Thursday, a Republican state lawmaker called for impeachment proceedings to begin against State Superintendent Ryan Walters, saying it was information News 4 uncovered that pushed him to that point. Others say they're also beyond fed up.

On Thursday, News 4 reported the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) took away funds OSDE once-promised school districts they would have to make security improvements — to protect students’ lives following the shooting at a school in Uvalde, TX.

News 4 found OSDE did so despite the fact legislators who wrote the bill which provided for the funding said only they, not OSDE, had authority to dictate how the funds are distributed.

On Friday, that news prompted Oklahoma House Democrats to issue their fifth call for State Superintendent Ryan Walters to be impeached.

But for the very first time, a Republican is also now calling for it.  

State Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore) has had plenty to say about Walters in the past. But there’s one, very powerful word the Republican has never said, until Thursday.

"I hate to use the word impeachment,” McBride told News 4 on Thursday. "But I think we're getting to that point."

For McBride, News 4’s report about OSDE taking away school security funds he and his fellow legislators voted to give schools — was the final straw.

“It makes it totally different,” McBride said. “I think it's time.

“Time,” he says, to impeach a fellow republican, Ryan Walters.

“That's the first time I've said that on the news or publicly,” McBride said.

He says he is not alone either.

“I've had members of the legislature that have asked me recently how to deal with this,” he said.

While he’s not quite ready to use the “I” word, Rep. Eddy Dempsey (R-Valliant)—who represents deeply-conservative McCurtain County—says he and the people he serves are tired of Walters too.

“It hurts me,” Demspey told News 4. “My superintendents… weekly I get text messages about things they get slapped with, that they don’t have a clue about.”

If Walters were to be impeached, it would have to start with the House of Representatives.

The governor, or house speaker could call for a special session—where representatives could hold hearings and investigations, then take a vote on whether to impeach him.  

If they vote to impeach, that wouldn’t be the end of things.

Walters would next have to be put on trial before members of the senate, who’d act as jurors.

If enough senators vote to convict him, then he’d be removed from office.

Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) told News 4 he’s at his wit’s end with OSDE.

“So this seems to be a pattern of, just frankly, not being able to do the basic blocking and tackling of running the State Department of Education,” Pugh told News 4. “I'm still hearing about Title I funding issues. I'm still hearing about the ‘off the formula’ schools and the money we gave them now almost two years ago that they haven't received yet. I'm still hearing schools haven't got maternity leave. I passed maternity leave two years ago and here we are still, the schools aren’t receiving maternity leave dollars.”

Being a potential juror, Pugh said he wouldn’t want to comment on whether or not he’d like to see the house impeach Walters.  

“I take the responsibility as a potential juror, very serious and don't want to bias myself,” Pugh said. “If they do that, the Senate will be ready to do our responsibility, which is serve as a jury.”

But he does want to see something done.

“I don't want to make this a personality battle, I don't want to make this a political battle,” Pugh said. “This is just basic, you know, doing the daily functions for school districts, teachers, parents and students from the State Department of Education. And it seems it's a real struggle for legislators to get information to help school districts be successful, for school districts to get answers to questions and have resources available to them.”

Pugh said he would be willing to use his authority as a Senator to cut Walters off financially.

“We've got our own legal opinions from the finance attorneys,” Pugh said. “I've engaged House leadership. So, both the appropriations chair in the Senate, the appropriations chair in the House of Representatives are engaged. I've also been working with Secretary of Education Nelly Sanders, who's now engaged in this. And is very aware of the situation. And she has also communicated directly with the State Department, wanting guidance, wanting to know why legal counsel is making these different interpretations of law. She has not received an answer yet. If we're going to talk about funding, right? I've felt like the only authority I have as a senator is making statutes and funding. And if they don't have a functioning organization that is willing to be in partnership with the legislature, then we're going to talk about withholding resources. That's really the only way I feel like we can get the attention of the State Department of Education.”

As for McBride, he’s ready for other Republicans to join him.

“Like I said, I've taken a neutral position and not wanting to say anything,” McBride said. “But enough's enough. It's time. He can't run that department as a tyrant.”