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HOLY GRIFT! THE OK TRUMP BIBLE MIRACLE  
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Jessica Corbett
October 4, 2024
Common Dreams [[link removed]]

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_ "Ryan Walters' multimillion-dollar school Bible scheme appears to
be a grift to funnel taxpayer dollars to Donald Trump and his allies."
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Journalists in Oklahoma revealed
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that the Christian Bibles peddled by former President Donald Trump
[[link removed]] are potentially the
only ones on the market that meet the specific list of requirements
for volumes the state controversially plans to purchase for its public
schools.

The _Oklahoma Watch_ reporting sparked a fresh wave of criticism on
several fronts, including the Republican presidential nominee's
ongoing Bible grift [[link removed]];
Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan
Walters' attempt
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spend millions in taxpayer dollars on religious books for public
classrooms; and broader efforts
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Christian nationalist forces to assert themselves within the modern
GOP.

As _Oklahoma Watch_ detailed:

Bids opened Monday for a contract to supply the state Department of
Education with 55,000 Bibles. According to the bid documents
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vendors must meet certain specifications: Bibles must be the King
James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include
copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S.
Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or
leather-like material.

A salesperson at Mardel Christian & Education searched, and though
they carry 2,900 Bibles, none fit the parameters.

But one Bible fits perfectly: Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA
Bible, [[link removed]] endorsed by former
President Donald Trump and commonly referred to as the Trump Bible.
They cost $60 each online, with Trump receiving fees for his
endorsement.

Mardel doesn't carry the God Bless the USA Bible or another Bible that
could meet the specifications, the We The People Bible,
[[link removed]] which was also endorsed by Trump. It
sells for $90.

The outlet also noted Walters' support for Trump. The official
reportedly said earlier this week: "We are going to be so proud here
in Oklahoma to be the first state in the country to bring the Bible
back to every single classroom and every state should be doing this...
President Trump praised our efforts. President Trump has been the
leader on this issue."

In response to the reporting, _The Atlantic_'s David Graham
simply said [[link removed]],
"Incredible grift."

_Talking Points Memo_'s Josh Marshall declared
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somewhere being hilarious and grotesque."

Activist Olivia Julianna asserted
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cannot be legal."

Julianna may be correct. Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew
Edmondson, a Democrat, told _Oklahoma Watch_ that "if the bid specs
exclude most bidders unnecessarily, I could consider that a
violation."

The reporting provoked praise for _Oklahoma Watch_'s Paul Monies,
Jennifer Palmer, and Heather Warlick. _Arms Control Today_ chief
editor Carol Giacomo said
[[link removed]], "Local
journalism, uncovering the facts—and the grift."

Even before the Trump Bible development, civil rights groups have
spent months sounding the alarm over Walters' push to mandate
Christian teachings in public schools.

On Thursday, a coalition including the ACLU and Americans
United requested
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related to Walters' announced funding for the mandate, made at a
September 26 meeting where the Oklahoma State Board of Education
approved a $3 million budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year 'to
provide Bibles to the Oklahoma classrooms.'"

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, said in a
Thursday statement that "Oklahoma taxpayers should not be forced to
bankroll Superintendent Walters' Christian nationalist agenda."

"His latest scheme—to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public
school curriculum—is a transparent, unlawful effort to indoctrinate
and religiously coerce public school students," Laser added. "Not on
our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools."

* Donald Trump
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* Oklahoma
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* Christian nationalism
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