A long-time employee of the Tulsa County Court Clerk’s Office and her husband have been accused of having ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
According to Hate Trackers, a site that monitors hate and extremist groups, employee Bondell “Bonnie” Kukla, 68, and her husband Stephen Clinton Kukla, age 67, “are white supremacists and long-time members of the Ku Klux Klan. They travel to various Klan chapters throughout the South preaching, speaking, and entertaining through song.”
READ MORE: Police: Man attacked elderly Black man over his mother’s interracial relationship
The site reports that Kukla previously worked in the juvenile bureau Tulsa County Court Clerk but now works in the regular court clerk’s office.
A photo online shows the couple performing at an anti-Semitic church located in Schell City, Missouri.
When reached on Tuesday, Stephen Kukla said there were inaccuracies in the Hate Tracker story, but wouldn’t say what statements were incorrect, The Frontier website states.
“We’re not interested in giving interviews to anyone whatsoever,” Kukla said. “To get into the nuts and bolts of it, I wouldn’t have any interest. I don’t want to blow this up any more than it’s already been blown up.”
READ MORE: Florida woman slapped with multiple charges after issuing ‘KKK’ threat to deputy
Days after the news broke, Donald Newberry, Tulsa County Court Clerk on Wednesday issued a statement regarding Kukla’s employment.
“I do not in any way condone or believe that discrimination, based on race, religion or sex, has any place within the workspace,” Newberry said in the email. “At the same time, I and all that work for this office, have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, part of which is the protection of free speech. If at any time I find that someone is not performing their duty to uphold the Constitution the situation would be dealt with according to the offense.”
Karen Keith, county commissioner of Tulsa said that county lawyers informed her that it’s not possible to fire the Kukla because of her alleged KKK membership.
“Our hands are tied,” Keith said. “There’s just not much Tulsa County can do.”