Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz stated that inaction was not a viable option regarding state school board member Natalie Cline's controversial and hurtful social media post, which led to significant backlash. Following her post that questioned a student's gender, the Utah Legislature voted to censure rather than impeach Cline, despite some House Democrats expressing disappointment and having prepared for impeachment. Governor Spencer Cox supported the school board's decision to punish Cline and predicted a Donald Trump win in the upcoming presidential election, attributing it to Joe Biden's border policies. Cline, undeterred by the censure and facing criticism from Granite School District parents, has refused to resign, raising critical concerns of election interference in her reelection bid. The situation escalated to the point where a Utah teen, targeted by Cline's defamatory post, now requires police protection due to the resultant harassment and humiliation.
USBE’s censure resolution describes Natalie Cline’s post as “defamatory” and states that it resulted in the “humiliation” and “harassment” of the student and her family. https://t.co/VWLybBOKAB
A Utah teen now requires police protection after state school board member Natalie Cline posted photos of the high schooler and questioned her gender. https://t.co/sU0ZmvMBsl
Natalie Cline tells GOP leader she won’t resign, will continue to run for reelection to Utah school board https://t.co/RasEVER57b
The opposition is speaking out after the Utah House of Representatives fell short of impeaching Utah School Board member Natalie Cline, a day after the Utah State Board of Education moved forward with censuring her. https://t.co/1XdNyHfhda
#NatalieCline says she’s not resigning, and says “critical concerns of election interference” arose during call she recorded with state GOP director. https://t.co/tdQ9QDIXiW
Natalie Cline, who was censured by the legislature, provided 2News with a recording of a phone call with a state GOP figure, raising concerns of "election interference" in her reelection bid. She also reiterated her refusal to resign. @bmullahy2news https://t.co/vFZdVNyU29
UPDATED STORY: Here's why the Utah Legislature voted to censure — not impeach — Natalie Cline #utpol #utleg https://t.co/B0TdzewaZ8
Granite School District parents are voicing their concerns over Natalie Cline's future following her Facebook post targeting a student and how it's been impacting their own. @emmarileytv https://t.co/2e51DbHHCe
Utah Legislature votes to reprimand school board member who questioned a student's gender https://t.co/VHziVSFYR5
Updated @CityWeekly: Natalie Cline censured by school board and Legislature; Gov. Cox predicts a Donald Trump win in November #utpol #uted #slc https://t.co/bpDO2S87gr
Now: House Democrats “disappointed” with censure of #NatalieCline, say they had a plan for #impeachment. @KUTV2News https://t.co/KBx9Sg7hkO
After meeting with embattled state school board member Natalie Cline last week, Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz told reporters that "doing nothing" regarding her hurtful social media post "is not an option. There needs to be a message sent." https://t.co/d5hncUqelU
New @CityWeekly: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says school board was right to punish Natalie Cline; predicts a Donald Trump win in November. #utpol #uted #slc https://t.co/bpDO2S87gr
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he believes former president Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election thanks to Joe Biden's handling of the border. https://t.co/JxFabPV4Nt
NEW: ‘Doing nothing not an option’ for Natalie Cline, Speaker @mschultz_12 says, while cautioning against unintended consequences of impeachment #utpol #utleg https://t.co/5IllEZVj2z via @UTNewsDispatch
NEW: ‘Doing nothing not an option’ for Natalie Cline, Speaker @mschultz_12 says, while cautioning against unintended consequences of impeachment #utpol #https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/02/15/lawmakers-will-take-action-natalie-cline-utah-house-speaker/ via @UTNewsDispatch