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February 15, 2013

GOP legislators form counterterrorism caucus

Associated Press Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Citing concerns about an attempt by a Muslim organization to replace the U.S. Constitution with Islamic law, several Republican Oklahoma legislators have announced the creation of a counterterrorism caucus.

Republican state Rep. John Bennett of Sallisaw spearheaded a press conference on Thursday announcing the formation of the caucus.

Although Bennett described the group as bipartisan, no Democrats attended the press conference. The one Democratic representative Bennett cited as a member, Rep. Eric Proctor of Tulsa, said he was unsure of the purpose of the caucus.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bennett says he’s primarily concerned with the possibility of the Muslim Brotherhood operating in Oklahoma. He also criticized the Council on American-Islamic Affairs, an advocacy group with an Oklahoma chapter.

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