The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
April 22, 2019

Washington State Rep. Discussed Violence and Surveillance of Opponents
----------------------------------------------------------------------

In Washington state, an investigation by The Guardian reveals a
prominent Republican lawmaker held private discussions with far-right
figures about spying on political opponents-and even targeting them with
violence. Records from the private chat room show state Representative
Matt Shea discussed disrupting a planned demonstration by anti-fascist
protesters in Spokane with Jack Robertson, host of the far-right show
"Radio Free Redoubt," and with Anthony Bosworth, a veteran of the 2016
occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by an anti-government
militia. The chat logs show Shea agreed to carry out background checks
on the protesters and did not object when Robertson proposed attacking a
woman activist with the threat: "Fist full of hair, and face slam, to a
Jersey barrier. Treat em like communist revolutionaries. Then shave her
bald with a K-Bar USMC field knife." After The Guardian published its
exposé, Washington's lieutenant governor called on Republicans to eject
Rep. Shea from their caucus.


.