Idaho House of Representatives should take ‘domestic terrorism’ report seriously

The finding of a 100-page investigative report that Washington state Rep. Matt Shea “participated in an act of domestic terrorism against the United States,” is troubling enough.

Even more troubling to us here in Idaho are the details about north Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, who is referenced more than a dozen times in the report.

The report names her as one of the leaders of the Coalition of Western States, abbreviated in the report as COWS, a group founded by Shea as part of “a strategy for leadership over future Patriot Movement armed resistance against the federal government.”

The report was prepared for the Washington House of Representatives on Shea, whose eastern Washington district in Spokane County abuts Idaho.

Washington lawmakers commissioned the report, which was conducted by an outside firm led by a former FBI agent, to determine whether Shea engaged in, planned or promoted political violence; identify his involvement with groups that engage in or promote political violence; and “assess the level of threat posed by these individuals and groups.”

The four-month investigation found that “Shea, as a leader in the Patriot movement, planned, engaged in and promoted” three armed conflicts between 2014 and 2016: in Bunkerville, Nevada; in Priest River, Idaho; and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, an armed takeover that captured the nation’s attention in January and February 2016.

“It is the professional opinion of the investigators, that on a more probable than not basis, Rep. Shea presents a present and growing threat of risk to others through political violence,” concludes the report, which was made public last week and has been forwarded to the FBI and to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to the Seattle Times.

Scott’s involvement is documented in several places in the report.

During the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a Harney County judge agreed to meet with local politicians and federal and county law enforcement representatives to discuss the Malheur situation.

Shea, Scott, Idaho Reps. Sage Dixon and Judy Boyle and Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore met with the judge and county and federal law enforcement officials to discuss the situation.

“During the meeting the (COWS) representatives gathered intelligence regarding law enforcement strategies and then traveled directly from the same meeting to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and met with Ammon Bundy and other armed occupiers,” according to the report.

In another incident, in north Idaho in August 2015, Shea posted an “urgent action alert” on social media for Patriot Movement followers to travel to Priest River with him to prevent the Veterans Administration from taking the firearms of an elderly veteran due to health issues and safety concerns.

Shea distributed a document titled, “Idaho Deployment—Operation Armed Backyard,” that detailed an operations plan for the Priest River confrontation, including an assignment for Scott to “identify Patriot bail bondsmen.”

Scott did not return a call or email seeking comment from the Idaho Statesman’s Cynthia Sewell, but Scott wrote in an opinion piece in Redoubt News over the weekend that the sheriff and police chief were both “on site” in the 2015 incident to enforce a section of state law that prohibits regulation of certain firearms “other than compliance with the order of a court.” Whether the Veterans Administration has the authority to take firearms from a veteran it deems to have mental health issues or is a safety concern is a source of ongoing debate.

The report was commissioned by the Washington state House, which is controlled by Democrats, but immediately after the report was released, Rep. J.T. Wilcox, the Republican minority leader of the House, said Shea had been suspended from any role in the House Republican Caucus and called on Shea to resign, adding that Shea could not use House Republican staff, could not meet with the caucus, and his office would be moved. Shea’s name and picture were removed from the House GOP website.

While Idaho has not announced any actions, the Idaho House can and should open an ethics committee investigation into the report and Scott’s involvement in these incidents.

Dissent, protest and civil disobedience are hallmarks of what makes our country great. But these actions go beyond those acceptable forms of dissent and sidestep the proper channels of our democracy.

We do not live in a monarchy, as some like Shea seem to believe, or in some sort of alternate universe in which any rule, regulation, law or action by the federal government with which they disagree constitutes tyranny and where the only solution is to take up arms against your oppressor.

In “Operation Armed Backyard,” proper forms of dissent include protesting, bringing perceived injustice to light and suing the Veterans Administration to allow the court system to determine the constitutionality of the action. Further actions could include contacting Idaho’s federal delegation to craft legislation that would prohibit such actions by the executive branch of government.

The gears of democracy don’t always turn quickly, but it’s imperative that we endeavor to turn those gears first and not resort to armed insurgency at every perceived injustice.

That these actions were taken by an Idaho state legislator particularly concerns us. Should the good folks of Idaho take up arms against the state government for the collection of income tax, or go to the store armed with an AR-15, refusing to pay sales tax?

We hope that Scott’s colleagues in the Idaho House of Representatives take this report seriously, thoroughly investigate the charges and take the appropriate actions.

This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 6:00 AM.