Rep. Matt Shea expelled from GOP caucus after investigation finds he engaged in domestic terrorism
Rep. Matt Shea expelled from GOP caucus after investigation finds he engaged in domestic terrorism
UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 20, 2019
By Jim Camden
and Chad Sokol
The Spokesman-Review
House Republican leaders expelled state Rep. Matt Shea from their caucus Thursday after an independent investigation found the Spokane Valley lawmaker’s role in the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016 amounted to “an act of domestic terrorism against the United States.”
The findings of the four-month investigation are detailed in a 108-page report that was delivered to rank-and-file members of the House on Thursday. Leaders of both parties called for Shea’s resignation and said the findings had been forwarded to the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office.
“He absolutely should resign,” said Republican Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, of Yelm. “His role as a House Republican is over.”
A sampling of Shea controversies
January 2010: An unabashed conservative in his first year in office, Shea began to show his anti-government zeal, proposing legislation aligned with the far-right Tenth Amendment or State Sovereignty movement.
August 2012: Shea sparked controversy when he posted a photo on Facebook of himself standing in front of the home of Amy Biviano, who was running to unseat him. Biviano accused him of trying to intimidate her, while both the county GOP chairman and Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich asked him to take down the photo. This was about a month after reports surfaced that Shea, an Army veteran, had pulled a gun in a road rage incident.
April 2014: Shea’s public affiliation with the Bundy family dates back to the standoff between family patriarch Cliven Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over Bundy’s refusal to pay $1 million in grazing fees to feed their cattle on public lands. In a YouTube video, Shea called the BLM action a “war on rural America.” Two years later he would travel to southeastern Oregon, where Cliven Bundy’s son, Ammon, took over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days.
October 2018: A leaked manifesto showed Shea outlining a “biblical basis for war,” which describes the Christian God as a “warrior,” details the composition and strategies of a “Holy Army” and condemns abortion and same-sex marriage. He has said the document was merely a collection of sermon notes on the Old Testament.
April 2019: As originally reported by The Guardian, leaked transcripts of chat messages reveal Shea participated in conversations suggesting violence against left-wing protesters. Days later, House GOP leaders pledged a formal review of his involvement.
August 2019: In addition to running “background checks” on liberal activists and supporting military-style training for boys and young men, it was revealed that Shea sought to purchase GPS tracking devices, compiled dossiers on local progressive leaders and kept a blacklist of suspected informants in his network. Days later, Spokane Mayor David Condon and the Spokane Police Guild joined the chorus of those calling for his resignation.
[link:https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/dec/19/rep-matt-shea-engaged-in-domestic-terrorism-during/?amp-content=amp&__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR19dSnehvKL0cq3T08BereFppeS9sV_iqUnfTHzqQXBAazH1VGcjljUsRs|
= new reply since forum marked as read
They'll make literally anyone who says the things their far-right audience wants to hear a correspondent. Only the attractive blondes are made lead anchor, and there's also Sean Hannity. 
