'IT'S A JOKE' DEFENSE

Oklahoma state senator falsely implies VP Kamala Harris used sexual favors to get elected in official press release

WHICH IS NO DEFENSE AT ALL IT'S AN EXCUSE

Sarah K. Burris
April 23, 2021


Kamala Harris

Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm, a Republican from Broken Arrow, used his Earth Day legislation to make a false, sexist, and derogatory statement about Vice President Kamala Harris in an official press release.

Dahm announced legislation that would ban paper straws because he hates them. While most adults can manage drinking from a cup using their mouth, Dahm complained that he needs a plastic straw and that paper simply wouldn't do. What took a turn, however, is that Dahm made a veiled allegation about the vice president that's making his straw legislation look like a sippy cup.



Press statement from Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm (Screen capture)

"So, under the guise of helping the planet, they've banned plastic straws, resulting in who knows how many trees now being cut down to make paper straws," Dahm said in the statement. I've never met a single person who enjoys using a paper straw. They fall apart & turn to mush quicker than [President] Joe Biden trying to string together a coherent sentence. They collapse like [Sen.] Mitt Romney (R-UT) under the slightest amount of pressure, & even with [Vice President' Kamala Harris well, never mind."

In an interview with KTUL, Dahm is asked about the veiled comment about Harris.

"There's a lot of different things that could be said about that with her vast experience and how she got her start into politics," claimed Dahm. "In talking with some people, one thing that could be said, you know, you can't use a paper straw for a milkshake, but maybe Kamala Harris could because of her past experience."


Harris got her undergraduate degree at Howard University and her JD at the University of California at Hastings. She was hired first by the prosecutor's office before being elected as the District Attorney for San Francisco, where she worked for seven years before being elected to the office of the Attorney General and ultimately to U.S. Senator. Dahm graduated from A Beka Christian Academy Home School.

According to ethics filings, Dahm has been supported by companies like AT&T, QuikTrip, the Oklahoma Realtor's Association, Marathon Oil and Reynolds Tobacco.

When he heard criticism for his comments, he doubled down.



Dahm didn't explain how it was a "joke" since he told people to "do their own research." He was asked if the comments weren't sexist and answered frankly. There was also no laughing involved in his comments. Republicans often use "it was just a joke" to get out of being held accountable for their comments.


See the video of Sen. Dahm below: