House Republican Relinquishes Honorary Degree Following Student Petition

House Republican Relinquishes Honorary Degree Following Student Petition
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) during a hearing in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Dec. 18, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
|Updated:

House Deputy Minority Whip Tom Cole (R-Okla.) voluntarily gave up an honorary doctorate from his alma mater on Jan. 12 after a student petition called on the school to rescind the award.

Cole, who joined some 120 House Republicans in challenging 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.