'Reprehensible, inexcusable': House Speaker responds to e-mail sent to Rep. Mauree Turner
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — House Speaker Charles McCall issued a statement on Wednesday after an Oklahoma lawmaker received a threatening e-mail.
The e-mail was sent to Rep. Mauree Turner on Tuesday night, hours after Turner was censured for "impeding a law enforcement investigation" into an assault on a fellow House member and an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper that took place in the Capitol lastTuesday.
The alleged assault happened after a bill restricting gender transition procedures passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Turner, who is non-binary, allegedly harbored a fugitive wanted for questioning in conjunction with the alleged assault inside of their office and rejected multiple requests by law enforcement to question the person.
The e-mail sent to Turner uses hateful, racist, and homophobic language and ends with urging Turner to get out of American government because the writer believes Turner has no place here.
McCall was appalled by the e-mail.
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"The House condemns all emails of this nature sent to representatives. They are reprehensible, inexcusable, and have been reported to the proper authorities," McCall said. "Members on both sides of the aisle regularly receive threatening and insulting emails and all are taken seriously by House security and the OSBI."
Due to being censured, Turner has been taken off all six committees they served on until they issue an apology for allegedly harboring the fugitive, something they won't be doing.
"I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something I cannot do. It's something I actively cannot do," Turner said.
Turner said they have been targeted for supporting the transgender community.
"Tuesday happened because we decided to put up legislation that strip the rights of healthcare for Oklahomans," Turner said in debate against their censure.
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