House Republican Gives up Honorary Degree After School Was Pressured to Revoke It
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House Deputy Whip Tom Cole (R-Okla.) gave up an honorary doctorate from his alma mater on Tuesday after a student petition called on the school to revoke it. Cole, who joined some 120 House Republicans in rejecting electoral votes from states where election integrity was under question, graduated from Grinnell College in 1971. He was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the Iowa-based private liberal arts college in 2016. In a public letter, Grinnell College President Anne Harris said Cole contacted her on Tuesday and “voluntarily relinquished” his honorary degree. She also revealed that the college leadership was considering taking it back from the Congressman. “Members of the Board of Trustees, campus leaders, and I prepared to review Grinnell’s honorary degree processes and principles, as well as the historical and constitutional context within which Rep. Cole acted,” Harris said. “This review was to inform the necessary deliberations of …