I’ve served my country in the army during the Vietnam War. When I entered the military, I took an oath to protect and defend the United States of America’s Constitution. I pledged to defend the country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

During the war, I served as a helicopter pilot. In carrying out my duties, I had to trust the men and women I served with to honor their oath to defend the USA, and they had to rely on me. 

Sometime after returning to civilian life, I ran for the Georgia State Senate because I wanted to serve my community and my state. I won.

However, before I could begin my service, I stood in the senate chambers, raised my right hand, and took an oath to defend the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Georgia. Also, I swore that I would defend my country and my state from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Later, Milledgeville’s good people saw fit to elect me to serve them as their mayor. Again, I took an oath to defend my country’s constitutions, state, and city; I swore to protect them and my city from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

The oath that every public official take is a sacred pledge that guides their public service. That oath says that I may have come to public service with a set of ideas and things I want to accomplish, but if those ideas do not serve and protect my government, I must center my objectives in line with the oath that I took.

I believe Rep. Jody Hice has failed to keep his oath of office by joining the bandwagon of an impeached president, claiming that President-Elect Joe Biden did not win the Georgia General Election. Hice sided with the impeached President, Donald J. Trump, who declared that Biden’s win was fraudulent without any proof. Hice’s failure to denounce Trump’s lie caused Biden to lose precious resources needed to get his transition team in place, thus delaying the new administration from organizing to tackle the country’s critical issues like COVID-19, the economy, and the environment.

Hice pushed Trump’s false conspiracy theories. When Trump incited a crowd to attack Congress, Hice continued to support Trump’s un-American behavior. He went as far as to vote “No” on a resolution to impeach Trump for directing a band of domestic terrorists to seize Congress and force its members to reject the electoral college results.

Hice has failed to keep his oath of office, and I am afraid that if he remains in Congress any longer, he will continue to side with the domestic terrorists who have declared war on the United States of America. Hice and other conservative lackeys have lost all credibility. He needs to resign from his post, effective immediately.

Floyd Griffin Jr. is a former Georgia state senator and former mayor of Milledgeville.