CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – “If that was his goal, I’d say he’s a roaring success.”
That’s how one Republican House of Delegates member responded when told that many on social media were saying Putnam County Delegate Joe Jeffries was “craving attention” with his latest TikTok postings.
And attention Jeffries got from the postings graphically explaining oral sex techniques.
Republican Speaker Roger Hanshaw quickly stripped Jeffries of his committee assignments, which the Clay Countian said is the only form of punishment available to him.
Individual legislators — Democrats and Republicans –, as well as the Democrat state chair and state Republican Party, condemned Jeffries with strong words.
The state GOP demanded “at least a public apology” from the delegate.
“Last night West Virginia Delegate Joe Jeffries posted a public video describing sexually explicit subjects on his personal account on the social media platform TikTok,” the state party statement said.
“Simply put, such behavior by any public official is unacceptable.
“Through his poor judgment and actions, Delegate Jeffries has brought shame to himself, his office, his constituents, and our party,” the statement goes on.
“West Virginia Republican Party leadership has reached out directly to Delegate Jeffries and demanded that, at the very least, he publicly apologize for his lewd conduct,” it concludes.
Speaker Hanshaw was outspoken in his condemnation as well.
“Serving in the West Virginia House of Delegates has been the honor of my lifetime, but not everyone has the same respect for this office, our body, or their fellow members,” Hanshaw said. “When you take the oath, you are serving not just your district, but also the entire state. I have been asked to weigh in on the activities of one of our members, but it is up to each of our constituents to be the ultimate judges of our actions.
“I believe Joe Jeffries is an embarrassment not just to the House of Delegates, but to the entire state. He has shown us more than once that he does not respect the office he was elected to serve. I am but one member among 100, and his constituents will have the opportunity at the ballot box in 2022 to decide whether he represents them as they wish,” Hanshaw continued.
“As presiding officer, the only tool at my disposal to express my disgust with his repeated, reprehensible behavior is to strip him of his committee vice chairman position, which I have done today. Carrying out the will of the people is serious work, and I expect better behavior of our members, even in what they believe is their private time.”
Democrat State Chair Belinda Biafore asked a reporter, “who in the world could support him?”
Biafore added, “GOP Delegate Joe Jeffries is an elected official representing his constituency in the House of Delegates and this type of behavior is unacceptable from an individual who is charged with making decisions on behalf of the people he was elected to represent.”
Jeffries attracted earlier attention this year when he confronted joint budget conferee members with an offensive sexual slang attack following one of their meetings.
He is identified as one of the most conservative members of the super majority-controlled Republican legislature. He also received attention when he sponsored legislation forbidding the teaching of sexuality in public schools.
His district includes parts of Boone, Lincoln, and Logan counties as well as the Hurricane area of Putnam.