A Washington state lawmaker is facing bipartisan calls to resign after a report accused him of "domestic terrorism."
The Washington state House received a report Thursday from an investigative group it hired to investigate state Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane) over his involvement in a 2015 protest where an armed militia occupied a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon. Shea "planned, engaged in, and promoted a total of three armed conflicts of political violence against the United States government," the report found, accusing him of committing "an act of domestic terrorism against the United States."
Starting in 2015, Shea worked with militia leader Ammon Bundy "in the planning and preparation" of a six-week standoff where armed protesters took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the report says. That protest ended when one protester was shot and killed. Shea was also involved with and "publicly supported" other armed takeovers in at least three states outside Washington, the report continued.
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Within hours, Shea was ousted from the House's Republican caucus and House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm) called on him to resign. "He cannot use House Republican staff, he cannot meet with the caucus, his office will be moved," Wilcox tweeted. Shea, meanwhile, compared his situation to the impeachment of President Trump, calling the report a "sham investigation meant to silence those of us who stand up against attempts to disarm and destroy our great country."
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