OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline) - Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is standing by his June endorsement of state Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) for Labor Commissioner despite the recent emergence of two-decade old allegations of domestic abuse by Roberts’ ex-wife, Jennifer.
“Governor Stitt has doubled down on his endorsement of Sean Roberts for Labor Commissioner,” KOSA Morning Edition host Michael Cross said recently on his “This Week in Oklahoma Politics Show.”
In another showing of support, the governor was listed as the headliner for an Aug. 8 Roberts’ fundraiser.
During his radio show, Cross spoke with Republican political consultant Neva Hill and civil rights attorney Ryan Kiesel about an Aug. 8 statement signed by five Republican female lawmakers that called for Roberts to walk away from the race in light of the accusations.
The lawmakers cited divorce filings from two decades ago.
A protective order filed against Roberts in 2002 by Jennifer describe verbal, physical, and psychological abuse.
“Throughout our 6 years of marriage, he pushed, slapped, and kicked me, even while I was pregnant,” she wrote in the judge-signed record. “On a daily basis, he would call me a slut, bitch, whore, and would tell me these things in front of the children.
"I had to sleep on the couch in our house if I wouldn't have sex with him," Jennifer recounted in the order. "He would pour water on me, hold me down under the blanket and just try to make me feel uneasy or unsure of what he might do if I went to sleep."
Roberts’ ex-wife also said that at one point she “called the police because he punched me in the mouth over a song I downloaded.”
“Rep. Roberts’s past behavior of threats and controlling behavior towards his previous wife and minor kids are characteristics of someone who should not hold any office and are inexcusable," the statement from the lawmakers said.
Fox 25 reported that the Oklahoma Bankers Association recently canceled a campaign event following the reports of past abuse.
In a statement tweeted on August 8, the Roberts Campaign called the reports of the abuse “dirty attacks,” and pointed to a letter written by his ex-wife to “detail these erroneous lies”. In the Aug. 1 letter, Jennifer Roberts says that she “was married to Sean Roberts” and that today she has “nothing bad to say about him,” but does not detail or deny the contents of the court.
Yesterday, Roberts filed a slander and defamation lawsuit against one of the five lawmakers, state Rep. Carol Bush (R-Tulsa), who chairs the Women’s Caucus. Declaring him “grossly unfit” for office, several Oklahoma female Republican lawmakers including the chair of the Women’s Caucus called for Roberts to end his campaign immediately, the Sooner State News reports.
“Today our attorney filed a slander and defamation lawsuit against Rep. Carol Bush for her false and reckless statements,” the Roberts campaign tweeted. “He is also in the process of issuing cease and desist letters to every TV Station playing Leslie Osborns [Roberts opponent} defamatory, misleading, and reckless political attack ad.”
Roberts’s attorney, Scott Loftis, announced the lawsuit Tuesday outside the Tulsa County courthouse.
Fox23 News reported that at the end of the Loftis press conference, Roberts’ current wife Amber said that she has “known Sean for 20 years, been married for 15. I’ve never seen him exhibit any of these things that these ladies are saying and I think it is disgusting that they are trying to break up two families with dirty politics.”
Roberts is challenging incumbent Republican Leslie Osborn in the Aug. 23 primary runoff.