DES MOINES – In a letter sent to House Republican Leaders, Iowa House Minority Leader Todd Prichard has called on Speaker Pat Grassley to remove State Rep. Dean Fisher of Tama County from his role as Chair of the House Environmental Protection Committee and be stripped of his committee assignments. Prichard’s insistence follows a series of false and threatening social media posts made by Fisher following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“A week ago, I requested that Rep. Fisher issue a public apology, accept responsibility for false social media posts, denounce the violence he condoned in his comments, and immediately stop spreading lies and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of our elections,” said Prichard. “Since he refuses to tell the truth and condemn violence, Rep. Fisher must be held accountable for his actions. He should immediately be removed as Chair of the House Environmental Protection Committee and stripped of his committee assignments.’

In a series of Facebook posts, Rep. Fisher falsely claimed there was “outright cheating” in Democratic-led states and cities. While referencing a United States Supreme Court decision where the court rejected an attempt to overturn election results, Rep. Fisher then wrote: “…we will survive. Remember, our side has the guns.” When questioned about the posts by the Marshalltown Times Republican, Fisher said: “It’s a phony claim, I will not give it credence.”

“After the insurrection in Washington D.C., I challenged every lawmaker in the Iowa House to hold themselves to a higher standard, commit to truth, and recognize that our words have consequences. As state lawmakers, it is beholden upon us to strengthen our democracy, not work to tear it down,” said Prichard. “This is not a problem unique to Washington D.C. and it cannot be ignored. We have to hold leaders who spread lies and conspiracy theories while alluding to violence accountable here in Iowa to make sure an insurrection never happens again.”

“As leaders in this state, we cannot remain silent and ignore the truth while promoting violence. This is not about left vs. right or Democrats vs. Republicans. Healing the divisions in our country starts with leaders telling the truth and setting the right example for respect. Change starts with us,” added Prichard.