‘A troubled man’: Kansas Senate leader decries Rep. Mark Samsel’s ‘deranged rantings’

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson on Sunday condemned the “deranged rantings” of Rep. Mark Samsel, caught on video Wednesday talking to high school students about religion, sex and suicide.

Samsel said on Sunday that he “didn’t do anything wrong” following his arrest last week on allegations of battery after students filmed his rant during class that included him getting into a physical altercation with a student.

Samsel, a Wellsville Republican who was substitute teaching at the city’s secondary school on Wednesday, said in a lengthy Facebook post on Sunday he is “truly sorry that this has caused pain and confusion.” In the post he cast the truth of the situation as effectively unknowable.

The rambling post Sunday jumped from Samsel’s family’s religious background and history in Kansas to criticizing media, lamenting divorce rates, teen suicide as well as the sanctity of American society. He shifted blame toward those criticizing him, which one commenter condemned as “victim blaming” and “backpedaling.”

“What happened in Wellsville on Wednesday? Only God knows,” Samsel wrote. “I have my version. You have yours.”

In videos taken by students and shared with The Star, Samsel, 36, on Wednesday is seen talking about lesbians, suicide, sex, masturbation, God and the Bible. He tells students they have permission to kick one person “in the balls” and another video shows him standing over a student on the ground, asking, “Did it hurt?”

An additional video sent to The Star also shows Samsel calling Masterson “the devil.”

“He’s called the Senate president, Ty Masterson, from Andover, Kansas. He is the devil disguised in a suit and a smile. And Christians follow him because they don’t realize he’s the devil,” Samsel says in one video. “Is that funny? Yeah, it is, excuse my language, f—king our state of Kansas right now and it’s causing kids to kill themselves and I have to attend their funerals knowing what’s going on. It’s not funny.”

In a text message on Sunday, Samsel declined to speak with The Star, saying it was a much needed day of rest. He said he would speak with his lawyer and “see what she will allow at this point.”

Masterson said he doesn’t recall ever having a conversation with Samsel.

“I have no response to what is clearly the deranged rantings of a troubled man,” Masterson said in a statement. “It is obvious from the shocking videos he shouldn’t be in a classroom or around children.”

Samsel didn’t resign in his Sunday post. The Legislature will reconvene Monday for a wrap-up session likely devoted to attempts to overturn vetoes by Gov. Laura Kelly.

“We’re concerned first and foremost about the safety of the students involved in this case,” said House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, in a text message Sunday. “The next step is to let law enforcement do its work. Once they’ve gotten to the bottom of things, we have a publicly open process in place for addressing the conduct of any legislator.”

In the House, any member can file a complaint against any other member to trigger an investigation. If a complaint is filed against Samsel, Ryckman is required to appoint a committee to look into the matter. The committee can recommend discipline including a formal censure or even expulsion from the House. A two-thirds vote of the House is required to expel a lawmaker.

Videos shared with The Star — by parents of students in the class — show Samsel ranting about religion and the devil to a noisy classroom.

In one video, Samsel is recorded telling students off camera, “make babies. Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate. ... You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question. ... God already knows.”

A student’s face is shown in the video, and she added the text, “i literally hate it here. mark is being so gross.”

Another video shows Samsel pushing a male student after telling him, “You’re about ready to anger me and get the wrath of God.” The student breaks free, then yells as he runs to the other side of the classroom.

In the days since, multiple Wellsville parents have told The Star they were made uncomfortable by Samsel’s behavior around their children in the past.

“I will not allow my children to be anywhere near him, and that was a decision I made two years ago,” said Jessica Roberts, who has two children attending the Wellsville school.

Roberts said she hadn’t seen anything as extreme as what’s in the videos, but she said Samsel’s “behavior has been strange for a grown man for a very long time.”

“I feel like he is a danger to children,” she said.

In regards to Wednesday’s incident, Samsel has argued that his actions were planned and that at least some of the students were aware of what was happening. In a Snapchat post, he wrote that he attempted to send a message about “art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another.”

“I deeply regret that my actions may have caused confusion or sadness among a handful of some young folks. But I only had ONE RULE. They know what is was, and it was simple. If they broke the rule, I told them the truth,” Samsel wrote on Facebook.

“Some of them did lie. Deceive. Etc. But not the vast majority. And many of them that appeared to, knew exactly what they were doing to serve a higher purpose. MENTAL HEALTH FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, and even our not-so-young. I said that every single hour, 1st-5th.”

Joshua Zeck, whose child was in Samsel’s class last week, said the claim that his child and friends were potentially involved in the incident “is absolutely false.”

“The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office obviously didn’t think it was staged or planned, nor did the administration or school district, who told him he can’t be back at the school,” Zeck said. “If anyone was involved in any aspect of this, he needs to provide some corroborating evidence to back that claim up. And regardless, highly inappropriate things were still talked about, said and done that day.”

The sheriff’s office and Wellsville Police Department investigated the incident after it was reported by the school district. Samsel was arrested Thursday afternoon and released on $1,000 bond.

Wellsville Superintendent Ryan Bradbury said that Samsel will no longer be allowed to work in the district.

In another video provided to The Star, Samsel is shown talking about a student attempting to die by suicide because their parents were two women.

In the videos, Samsel repeatedly references teen suicide — a topic that has drawn his attention for years. Last year, he championed the Mental Health Parity Act, which would have eliminated red tape that can slow down access to mental health care.

A review of Samsel’s Facebook feed shows numerous posts referencing mental health and teen suicide since he was first elected to the Legislature in 2018.

In his post on Sunday, Samsel portrayed himself as working against teen suicide. Samsel, who works as a referee for the Kansas State High School Activities Association, also suggested his actions weren’t as bad as those of rude and unruly spectators at games.

“I’m doing my best folks, and I am genuinely sorry for any pain or confusion this may cause anyone. But I will put my hand on the Bible right now and swear that I didn’t do anything wrong,” Samsel wrote. “Those kids are the LAST people on the planet I would ever do anything to intentionally hurt. I’ve known most of them for years, some for over a decade.”

The post had received upwards of 280 responses by Sunday afternoon. Most questioning Samsel’s tone, or otherwise criticizing him for failing to take responsibility and apologize for his actions that one Facebook user said, “hurt the children that look up to you. Please get help.”

Zeck and other parents pushed for Samsel to apologize for his actions. Many are calling for him to resign.

“I’m disappointed in Mark’s response so far on social media. I was hoping we would get an apology, and maybe be able to start doing some healing that way,” Zeck said. “But he’s obviously wanted to defend himself in other ways. That’s disappointing to see.”