Congratulations if you had State Rep. Jose Cruz in your "Which Oklahoma lawmaker will be the first to resign in disgrace in 2022" survivor pool!
Last night, Rep. Cruz released a statement announcing he was stepping down from the State House after he apparently exercised "poor judgment" and "acted inappropriately" (a.k.a had a good time) at a New Year's Eve party in the Oklahoma City Metro.
You can read his carefully crafted PR statement at any major (or minor) local media outlet, or you can just check out this screenshot of a DM that he sent to his campaign donors:
Naturally, anytime an Oklahoma lawmaker acts "inappropriately," the natural follow-up questions are "What did he do and is the teenage male prostitute okay?"
I asked around the Ogle Mole Network, and in all honesty, it's being a bit tight-lipped on this one. That being said, although the details are sketchy and vague, I have learned...
On New Year's Eve, Cruz and his wife attended a little New Year's Eve mixer with some other local politicos. At one point during the night, Cruz – apparently unbeknownst to his wife and other party attendees – snuck away and made a drunken and very unwanted "advance" on a female lobbyist in a bathroom. I'm putting "advance" in quotes because I honestly have no clue how serious or aggressive the "stupid stuff" was, but it was apparently serious enough for him to step down.
A few days, or perhaps even weeks later, I guess the victim came forward with what happened and Cruz – being a typical Democrat – resigned under pressure from his party. If he was a Republican, I'm sure he'd get a bunch of high-fives and be named chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Anyway, those are the only things I'm hearing right now. I guess we'll provide any updates if or when they come through. Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
