Walters lashes out at Speaker, McBride in an emotional press conference: 'Let's start'

An emotional state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters complained Friday that he is the victim of political attacks filled with baseless lies and lashed out at fellow Republicans House Speaker Charles McCall and state Rep. Mark McBride.

Walters made the statements at a press conference Friday, just about 24 hours after House Republican leaders announced they would conduct an investigation into Walters' spending practices and the state Department of Education. The investigation will be conducted by the joint Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency.

"What you've seen are political attacks directed at me from the Speaker of the House Charles McCall and his buddy, Mark McBride," Walters said. "They have continued to attack my office with baseless lie after baseless lie with no evidence."

Walters said his agency was continuing to reform the state's educational system. He said he wasn't going "to stand here and listen to Speaker McCall and Mark McBride lie about my office and about the work we are doing."

Walters said McCall was attacking him because McCall was more concerned about running for governor in 2026 than taking care of Oklahomans.

Walters, who has also been touted as a candidate for governor, said: "This is a clear attack on who he (McCall) views as his biggest political opponent in that governor's race in 2026." A moment later, Walters walked that comment back, adding, "my focus is kids in the state of Oklahoma. I'm not worried about a future election. I'm worried about ensuring every kid has the best education possible."

Walters said the House needed to provide "all the evidence" to the Senate. "We don't need to wait on a LOFT committee. We don't need to wait on an investigation. We need to start the process immediately. The Speaker wants to impeach me for political advance. So, let's start the impeachment proceedings. I'm calling on Speaker McCall and Mark McBride to begin their impeachment proceedings Monday. It's time for Oklahomans to have the answers."

The tension and the rhetoric between Walters and state lawmakers have increased over the past year. Last August, the House’s Democratic Caucus held a press conference and sent McCall a letter seeking a joint investigation of Walters and his OSDE politics.

Since then, Democrats have repeated that request four more times.

On Friday, Minority Leader Cyndi Munson said lawmakers needed to plan and organize the LOFT hearings . “We need an investigative committee charged with holding him accountable to his willful neglect to do his job as State Superintendent, especially with the most recent announcement by the Senate Pro Tem stating Senators will need to recuse themselves from the LOFT investigation. We remain committed to being the adults in the room and focused on the work important to all Oklahomans.”

Echoing the Democrats, McBride and other GOP lawmakers have pushed back against some of Walters’ rhetoric and the ongoing delays in action by the OSDE. This year the House issued two subpoenas to Walters for information from the OSDE. The subpoenas were signed by McCall.

Still, while Walters accused McCall of trying to impeach him, the facts paint a different picture. On at least two occasions, McCall has pushed back against any impeachment effort.

Last year, during a press conference on the floor of the House, McCall told reporters that Walters would have had to commit a felony before he would be impeached, and just days ago, McCall turned down McBride’s request for a special investigation. In a message to the GOP Caucus, McCall wrote that he “takes elections very seriously.”

“Anyone who was duly elected by the people of this state should not be removed from that office, given to them by the people, unless absolutely required by the constitution,” McCall wrote, “Unless and until 51 or more Republicans sign the letter and request the investigative committee be formed, I will not consider the request.”

So far, McBride’s letter has a total of 25 Republican House members’ signatures. That figure, plus the 20-member House Democratic Caucus means that 45 of the House’s 101 members ― close to half ― support an inquiry into Walters and the SDE.

Walters, however, continued to push the narrative that the sole reason for lawmakers’ questions was simply political. “If this is truly about getting to the bottom of those political accusations from the speaker’s office, let’s have the impeachment hearings and let’s lay ‘em out for everybody to see.”

More: Bixby superintendent files defamation lawsuit against Ryan Walters after meeting comments

Late Friday afternoon, McCall issued a short statement, pushing back against Walters' press conference.

"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," McCall said. "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."

McCall also gave some unsolicited advice to Walters: "Prioritize getting resources to Oklahoma schools and improving our state's education rankings, rather than engaging in political theatrics," he said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Walters lashes out at Speaker, McBride in an emotional press conference: 'Let's start'