Weighing in on Shea

COEUR d'ALENE — Reports that a Spokane Valley legislator participated in a 2017 private group text chat that discussed attacking and spying on perceived political enemies have led to widespread reactions in Kootenai County, where Rep. Matt Shea has plenty of allies.

Shea, 45, reportedly participated in the chat with right-wing activists in which violence against anti-fascist (antifa) leftists was discussed, according to a story published by The Guardian British newspaper last Saturday.

Local Republican Alex Barron blasted the report, saying it’s biased and another undue attack on conservatives.

"I was appalled at how disingenuous and misleading the piece was about Washington Representative Matt Shea," said Barron, whose blog is CharlesCarrollSociety.com. "However, I was not surprised."

Barron discounted the report, saying it was based on private communications and the author has a history of writing in favor of militant leftist groups.

"Democrats felt it was unfair to publish Hillary Clinton's private emails, but leftists think it is OK to publish Republicans' private chat messages," Barron said.

Local Democrats joined their peers across the state line in expressing deep concern.

"One would hope that political leaders would be interested in creating dialogue and bridging the political divide," said Shem Hanks, chairman of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee. "Instead, Rep. Shea is not representing the values of the majority of people in eastern Washington, he is not displaying values that we in North Idaho have and he is certainly not demonstrating the values of the majority of Republicans.

"As regional neighbors to Spokane Valley, we in Kootenai County have to make sure that we are not perpetuating rhetoric of hate and violence, but we take the opportunity to show that we are an example of working together for the common good of our region and country. We can disagree, but not be disagreeable."

Some Washington Democrats have called for Shea to be expelled from the GOP caucus due to what they believe is extreme ideology. Criticism extends well into his own party, as well. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said on the Jason Rantz conservative radio show:

“It’s troubling that a representative is even having those kinds of conversations. But the proper context is that this was over an encrypted chat line that Matt Shea set up. These were people who were very, very close to Matt Shea — his inner circle. The individual that turned (the chat messages) over (to the Guardian) was head of Matt’s security team. So these were people who once had his trust. The individual that released these documents, he has told me this very bluntly, ‘I’m very concerned about the direction it’s going and somebody is going to get hurt one of these days.’”

The sheriff added: “The people who Matt associates with are very concerning.”

Shea, a veteran and host of "Patriot Radio" on the American Christian Network, did not return a message from The Press seeking comment.

He is a proponent of the State of Liberty movement, which aims to have eastern Washington secede from western Washington.

On his Facebook page, Shea, who describes himself as a "Christian conservative Constitutional Republican," called The Guardian article "an extremely misleading hit piece."

"My life and the lives of my family have been, and continue to be, threatened routinely," he wrote. "Of course I have done background checks to protect my family and my community, but that was only in response to threats already coming from the left. I will continue to fight to protect the Constitution, my family and my community. I will not back down. I will not quit. I will not give in. Ever."

Shea has been invited to speak at political gatherings in Kootenai County in recent years.

He was scheduled to serve as master of ceremonies at a dinner held by The John Birch Society at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn on Friday night.

He spoke to the Panhandle Pachyderm Club in 2016.

Among the other local events Shea has spoken at is meetings held by Oath Keepers, an organization of military veterans, police and firefighters who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution.

"He's popular with certain segments of society in North Idaho," said Duane Rasmussen, a Republican and lawyer from Hayden. "He stands up to liberals and so few people are willing to stand up to them. For some people, it's refreshing to have Shea stand up to them."

Rasmussen said he's concerned if anyone advocates violence, but he also believes there can be overreactions to people who fully exercise their First Amendment right.

Rasmussen said it's difficult to cast swift judgment on someone if you don't know all the circumstances and any intentions behind the chat.

Ultimately, Rasmussen said, it should be left to the voters to decide the fate of Shea serving as a legislator.

"If somebody is voted in, that's a pretty sacred deal," he said.

While Shea did not propose violence in the chat that used screen aliases, he did not condemn the ideas in the leaked portions of the chat, The Guardian report states.

Shea asked other chat participants Jack Robertson, who hosts the radio show Radio Free Redoubt, and Anthony Bosworth, known for participating in the 2016 occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge, for a list of people he should perform background checks on.

Robertson said on his show that the talks of violence were made tongue-in-cheek in response to rumors of violence by leftist groups.

The chat was on an encrypted messaging app and obtained from an anonymous source who participated in the text conversation.

It occurred during a time of heavy unrest while leading up to a rumored "antifa" revolt that never happened.

The chat, among other threats, includes Bosworth suggesting confronting antifa members — left-wing activist who resort to violence.

Local Republican Brent Regan said Idaho Republicans condemn all forms of political violence and intimidation. But he also believes The Guardian report is "biased deceptive propaganda" and destructive to the Republican form of government.

"You cannot be accused of 'participating' in a conversation that occurred two days before you walked into the room," he said, referring to the chat.

Regan said the alleged texts include the dates and times they were made, and blames The Guardian for presenting the texts out of chronological order.

Regan said Bosworth and Robertson exchanged texts between Oct. 29, 2017, and Nov. 4, 2017. Shea's only texts are from Nov. 6, 2017.

"Since there was zero evidence that Shea participated in the conversation, The Guardian rearranged the sequence of the comments and lied about what happened," Regan said. "All Americans should be outraged at this abuse of the freedom of the press. Any politician calling for punishment without due process should themselves resign as they are in violation of their own oaths of office."

Rasmussen said the private chat warrants regionwide discussion, but any swift action needs to be warranted, especially considering the timing of the conversation.

"The cure for bad speech is more speech," he said. "Everybody needs to have their say. We need to have a conversation about it, but to call for a resignation (without knowing all the circumstances) is not good. The law needs to be followed, but criminalizing what people say can worry me."

But Hanks said it's a "volatile" situation that needs to be addressed.

"The statements made by Rep. Shea and his cohorts are messages that are hateful and harmful and have no place in our political dialogue," Hanks said. "It is shameful that an elected official would support extremist and conspiratorial action while not focusing all his time and energy on his main role representing his constituents."

Deborah Rose, a Republican from Athol, said Shea has strong support in North Idaho, including those who associate themselves with the Redoubt movement. But there are also many Republicans who reject Shea's "Libertarian posturing."

Rose said she's aware of area residents who promote threats of violence "by ballots or by bullets" merely because of political differences.

"This specific threat is commonly used to stress resistance," she said.

However, there are better ways to express an opinion, she said.

"As members of our community, it serves us all well to ensure Kootenai County is a safe place to live for all residents," she said. "We may not hold the same political ideologies, however, civility and respect toward our neighbors is a healthier approach than is churlish name calling and labeling. Bullying tactics and threats of violence have sadly become common in our area."

The text chat isn't the first time Shea has captured negative headlines or been criticized amid perceived references to violence.

He was, among other times, criticized by some for traveling to Oregon in 2016 to meet with armed protesters who were occupying federal lands. However, Barron said that visit was to help broker a peaceful resolution to avoid bloodshed.

Barron said that from the feedback he's heard in North Idaho regarding the chat, supporters won't be swayed.

"Conservatives see through the liberal media bias against conservative Republicans like Rep. Matt Shea," he said.