Jan. 6 events merit resignations

On the morning of Jan. 6, a violent takeover was instigated at our nation's capital during the ceremonial counting of Electoral College votes. This was an act of sedition.

The president and his colleagues incited violence at a rally in Washington, D.C. They encouraged the crowd to march to the Capitol and support overturning legally certified electoral votes. Our Oklahoma delegation contributed to this debacle.

Sen. James Lankford, who ultimately decided not to vote against Arizona's electors, spent weeks giving credence to conspiracy theories in advance of Jan. 6. Lankford hides behind a fig leaf of “transparency in government.” We know that in reality his real agenda is to head off a primary challenge in 2022. This is cowardice, not leadership.

U.S. Reps. Stephanie Bice, Tom Cole and Markwayne Mullin joined with a group of representatives to protest votes certified by "swing states." Oklahoma is not one of those states. Ultimately, these three were joined by Reps. Kevin Hern and Frank Lucas to vote against accepting legally certified electors from states other than Oklahoma.

Our elected officials should be about the business of working for all of us in Oklahoma, not meddling in the elections of other states. The basis of these protests are allegations of widespread voter fraud. These allegations were examined by county election boards, state election boards, state legislators, multiple courts and dozens of judges, many appointed by the president. No credible evidence has yet been presented of the alleged voter fraud.

All elections were certified according to state laws. Electors cast their votes according to law. Those electoral votes were being counted during a joint session of Congress when violence erupted.

Each of the Republicans who supported the president's unhinged allegations are complicit in the violence that ensued. They have failed to uphold the oath they swore to the Constitution and to protect the right of Americans to choose their own leaders.

The rule of law laid out by the Constitution is the basis of our country's long history of peaceful transitions of power. We may not always like the outcome of the vote, but we are bound by our commitment to the Constitution to abide by the will of the voters. As a Democrat in Oklahoma, I can speak with some authority on this topic. I rarely get to celebrate the result of elections, but I accept them. Leaders who lack the courage to submit to the will of voters lack the necessary fortitude to put the country over party.

As chair of the Oklahoma County Democratic Party, I, along with my fellow Democrats, call for the resignations of Sen. Lankford and Reps. Bice and Cole who represent us in Oklahoma County.