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TULSA, Okla. – Governor Kevin Stitt’s spokesperson Carly Atchison is in hot water after a reprehensible tweet directed at congressional Democrats.
Two days prior to the insurrectionist attack on the United States Capitol, Atchison tweeted “It’s January 5 and the @NRCC has already put House Democrats in body bags. Godspeed @dccc.,” in response to a FOX News story about a recent language rule change in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the days since the attack on Congress, many Twitter users have responded to the tweet calling on Atchison to remove it. Some users have indicated that they have reported the tweet to the Federal Bureau of Investigations with others directly tagging the FBI in a tweeted response.
The cruel irony of the tweet is multifaceted given its proximity to the occurrence of two national wounds – the violent attack on our democracy and a global pandemic left unchecked by wreckless leaders; one of whom happens to be Atchison’s boss.
Several days have passed, but the tweet remains. And Oklahomans have taken notice.
One Twitter user, @ohtheaudacity1, responded “This rhetoric is why there are actually (sic)are 5 people in body bags after events of last Wednesday. Where is your shame? Where is your decency?”
As a spokesperson for Governor Stitt, Atchison has given us a glance into the culture of the governor’s office. Even as the days have passed and a flood of disturbing videos has surfaced, Atchison has declined to remove the tweet and the Governor’s office has remained quiet. With the next gubernatorial race starting to gear up, the governor’s noticeable silence is unsurprising.
Further, it must be noted that Atchison is the spokesperson for an administration that has overseen and executed one of the most reckless and unsuccessful COVID-19 response programs in the country. Under the leadership of the infamously anti-mask governor (who once said “we’ve got six children and we don’t vaccinate, we don’t do vaccinations on all of our children.),” Oklahoma’s spiking infection rate and death toll are an unfortunate but predictable result of Stitt’s allegiance to Donald Trump and rejection of basic science. The Stitt Administration’s neglect has undeniably led to an ever-increasing number of Oklahoman fatalities.
So to say that the “body bags” comments was inappropriate is a gross understatement.
It should be noted – 19 Oklahomans are reported to have died on January 5, and the insurrection has resulted in at least six deaths, including two law enforcement officers.