squad. After the post caused controversy, Bennett said that it was "barracks talk" and that he was not advocating for Clinton's execution, but said that he viewed Clinton as a traitor who should be imprisoned. Later, Bennett continued to claim that Clinton was guilty of "treason" but called the remarks "sarcasm" and said he would never wish death toward any candidate. 56th Oklahoma Legislature In March 2017, during CAIR's third annual Oklahoma "Muslim Day" at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City, Bennett gave a questionnaire to three Muslim students who came to meet him. The questionnaire said: "The Koran, the sunna of Mohammed and Sharia Law of all schools say that the husband can beat his wife. Do you beat your wife?" According to CAIR, this questionnaire "intentionally misinterpreted ideas [from the Koran] to try to slander Muslims." The survey was written by ACT! for America. Later that year, during debate on a proposal to increase taxes on oil and gas producers to fund services, Bennett said, regarding state agencies' reports that budget cuts would lead to service cuts: "That's terrorism. We should not be negotiating with terrorists, period. These agencies are using our citizens as pawns." Bennett also asserted that state agencies would later "threaten to extort money from us again." The "terrorist" agency that he was referring to provides long-term care to individuals with intellectual disabilities, services to elderly Americans, as well as those whom are living in poverty. Then-Governor Mary Fallin called the statement "unacceptable" and it was condemned by the Oklahoma Public Employees Association. Chairman of Oklahoma Republican Party On April 10, 2021, John Bennett was elected chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party. Bennett's election was considered controversial due to the Islamophobic remarks and coverage he had made during his tenure in the legislature. CAIR-Oklahoma executive director Adam Soltani said that Bennett told him all mosques in Oklahoma are "jihadi training grounds" and that Bennett personally accused him of being "one of the biggest terrorist in Oklahoma." Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, was told by Bennett that he would "demolish my mosque and every mosque in town" and that he "was the biggest threat for the state of Oklahoma. In the role, Bennett broke tradition by publicly criticizing several incumbent Republicans such as James Lankford and Mitch McConnell. Bennett supported primary challenger Jackson Lahmeyer against incumbent Oklahoma Senator