Speaker Kyle Hilbert said the action followed “substantiated allegations of sexual harassment.”
OKLAHOMA CITY — The House Rules Committee on Thursday censured state Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, called on him to resign and withdraw from reelection, and recommended restrictions that would largely isolate him from House staff and committee work.
Williams denied wrongdoing and said he was denied an opportunity to confront his accusers or challenge what he called false statements.
Committee members did not publicly describe the allegations during their 16-minute meeting. At a separate news conference afterward, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, characterized the conduct as involving substantiated allegations of sexual harassment.
“If this had been a staff member, if this had been a private company, any employee would have been terminated at that point in time based upon the substantiated allegations of sexual harassment,” Hilbert said in a video published by The Oklahoman.
Eleven people provided information about what they witnessed or experienced, Hilbert said, according to The Oklahoman. Some accounts were supported by witnesses or electronic records, while employees working in separate parts of the Capitol described similar patterns of conduct.
The Oklahoman also reported that Hilbert confirmed allegations that Williams imitated a sexual act toward a female employee and that a cup of suspected urine was found on an employee’s desk.
The investigative reports have not been released publicly.
Three votes
Members voted 9-0 to recommend that the full House formally censure Williams for “disorderly behavior” under Article V, Section 30 of the Oklahoma Constitution. The full chamber would have to act when it next convenes.
By an 8-1 vote, the committee then censured Williams at the committee level and recommended that he resign, withdraw from his Nov. 3 election and not seek the House seat again. Williams faces Democratic challenger Blake Cummings in House District 28.
The deadline for removing Williams’ name from the Nov. 3 ballot has passed.
The final motion, also approved 8-1, recommended that Hilbert impose seven restrictions for as long as Williams remains in the House. Among them, Williams would be prohibited from meeting one-on-one with House staff, receiving a legislative assistant or serving on committees or in committee leadership.
The committee also called for Williams to complete 80 hours of approved workplace-behavior counseling and training, including sexual-harassment and toxic-workplace training, at his own expense. The first 40 hours would be due before the first Monday in February 2027 and the remainder before the last Friday in May.
Hilbert later said he cannot enforce the training requirement because the Oklahoma Constitution establishes the qualifications for House membership.
State Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, cast the dissenting vote on the committee censure and proposed restrictions. He supported recommending censure by the full House.
Separate ethics investigation
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission opened a formal investigation Aug. 13 after finding reasonable cause to believe Williams may have violated Ethics Rule 4, which governs conflicts of interest.
House leaders said their referral to the commission grew out of concerns about potential misuse of state resources. That inquiry is separate from the workplace-conduct investigation.
A reasonable-cause finding permits the commission to investigate; it does not establish that Williams violated ethics rules. The commission has not publicly disclosed what conduct it is investigating.
The Rules Committee voted to retain jurisdiction over Williams’ conduct while the ethics inquiry remains underway.
Williams criticizes process
Before the voting, Williams briefly denied the allegations against him.
After the meeting adjourned, he read a separate statement to reporters but declined to answer questions.
“I have not broken any rule or any law,” Williams said. “They’ve never accused me of breaking a rule or breaking the law. I haven’t done it.”
He said he had cooperated with the investigation but disagreed with what had been said about him.
“I couldn’t challenge people that accused me. I couldn’t deal with false statements,” Williams said. “There have been some statements made about me that I have never done in my entire life, but I have no way to deal with that, and to me that’s unfair.”
Williams said he has lived in the district for 45 years and that constituents have urged him not to quit.
“I love my people. My people love me,” he said. “And as long as I draw breath, that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
Democratic members say action fell short
Afterward, state Reps. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, and Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City, said House employees deserved a safe workplace and protection from retaliation.
Fugate said House rules, procedures and the approaching election limited what lawmakers could do.
“The action taken today was all we had available, but it was not enough,” Fugate said. “The House employees who came forward deserve better, and so do the people of Oklahoma.”
Hefner thanked the employees who came forward and said speaking up can be difficult when workers fear consequences for their jobs and families.
“No one should be afraid of retaliation for raising serious concerns about their workplace,” Hefner said.
Fugate said the committee relied on a report prepared by legal counsel. He characterized the conduct presented to members as creating a hostile work environment.
Williams previously was removed from committee chairmanships, moved to another Capitol office and denied legislative staff support while the House review was pending.
