The executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs was fired late last week following a long history of tension between him and Governor Kevin Stitt.
The Oklahoma Veterans Commission voted 5-1 to remove Joel Kintsel from his position as executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday.
The chair of the commission, Robert Allen, cited insubordination as the reason for Kintsel’s termination.
This follows claims from Kintsel, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and members of the state Legislature that Governor Stitt broke the law when he appointed some of the members of the commission by not consulting local veterans groups first. As a result, Kintsel declined to attend recent commission meetings.
U.S. Navy Under Secretary Greg Slavonic will serve as interim director.
