澳彩开奖

Shea uses his office and campaign funds to spearhead a partitionist effort to split Washington into two states, and may have violated state laws by using surplus campaign funds to make at least $5,500 in contributions to far-right nonprofit organizations that are not registered as charities with the Washington Secretary of State. State law requires charities to be registered with the state to receive surplus campaign funds.

Shea is a vocal supporter of the 聽extremist movement, is closely affiliated with members of the antigovernment , is a celebrity within the antigovernment-inspired American Redoubt聽movement and for years has taken to propagating anti-Muslim bigotry including forming聽the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America.

厂丑别补鈥檚 surplus campaign account made a 聽Sept. 10 to the anti-Muslim hate group Americans for America of Centennial, Colorado. The group hired John Guandolo, a former FBI agent well known for his anti-Muslim activism, as director of training.

Guandolo was paid $123,000 by the group in 2017 for 鈥渢raining of law enforcement personnel in the field,鈥� according to a report based on the organization鈥檚 2017 tax returns that was 聽this week in the Texas Observer. Guandolo has appeared on 厂丑别补鈥檚 Patriot Radio broadcast where Shea expressed interest in bringing Guandolo to Washington to provide law enforcement training.

Shea also tapped surplus campaign funds to make a 聽on Aug. 24 to Citizens for Free Speech, a Mesa, Arizona, nonprofit. Citizens for Free Speech is operated by Patrick Wood and received IRS tax approval earlier this year. The organization鈥檚 website states its purpose is to promote 鈥渕en and women of moral and religious integrity to assert their influence in local communities by actually doing it.鈥� Wood is widely followed by antigovernment activists and antisemitic white supremacist groups, and the 澳彩开奖 has identified him as the 聽on the 鈥渙ne world鈥� conspiracy theory.

Washington allows candidates to deposit excess campaign contributions into a surplus account. Unlike campaign accounts where funds can be used for election expenses, surplus fund accounts are more . Surplus funds can only be used to refund campaign contributions, transfer funds to a political party or caucus political committee, be deposited in the state Treasury, be used for future political campaigns, reimburse elected officials 鈥渇or nonreimbursed, public office-related expenses鈥� or be donated to nonprofit organizations registered with the state.

The contributions to the two nonprofits reflect 厂丑别补鈥檚 ties across the gamut of the American far-right.

Washington state election officials this week opened two聽separate inquiries聽into campaign expenditures from 厂丑别补鈥檚 surplus account, the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) said. The commission has the authority to assess $10,000 per violation. It can also refer a case to the Attorney General's Office, which is able to seek higher penalties in court.

The PDC has given Shea 聽to respond to a citizen鈥檚 complaint over his use of surplus campaign funds to pay for radio broadcasts, advertising and purchase of broadcast equipment, PDC spokeswoman Kim Bradford said.

The funds were used to pay for radio broadcasts on 厂丑别补鈥檚 Patriot Radio show on the that operates six AM and FM stations in eastern Washington. Shea also used the funds to purchase advertising on Redoubt News, a website which the 澳彩开奖 lists as an antigovernment, conspiracy propaganda organization.

He acknowledged in a rambling Facebook 聽that he wrote and distributed a religious manifesto called the 鈥淏iblical Basis for War.鈥� The document and his explanation generated national press and infuriated some major contributions including at least seven who have asked for refunds. These contributors donated $10,500 of the $109,000 he collected in 2018.

The 聽states that before a declaration of聽war, the enemy must be given the opportunity to 鈥渟top all abortions,鈥� end 鈥渟ame-sex marriage,鈥� eliminate 鈥渋dolatry or occultism鈥� and ban 鈥渃ommunism,鈥� and that everyone 鈥渕ust obey Biblical Law.鈥� If the enemy does 鈥渘ot yield,鈥� the manifesto states, then 鈥渒ill all the males.鈥�

Late last month, House Republicans, who are in the minority in the Washington Legislature, 聽Shea of his party leadership role as caucus chair where he led party meetings and helped set legislative agendas. Prior to serving as caucus chair, Shea was assistant floor leader for seven years. State investigations into illegal campaign fund expenditures could now jeopardize his prospect for an appointment as the ranking member on legislative committees.

Shea wants to be appointed as the senior Republican member on the environment or judiciary committees. If Shea is overlooked, political experts say that would be a clear signal that Republican leaders have had enough of 厂丑别补鈥檚 divisive actions and inflammatory statements and intend to marginalize his political power.

The PDC 聽was filed Nov. 19 by Aaron Jarvis, a volunteer for Democrat Ted Cummings, who challenged Shea in last month鈥檚 race. Shea, a Republican, easily won his sixth term by a 58鈥�42 percent margin.

The complaint alleges 厂丑别补鈥檚 campaign violated state law when it used surplus campaign funds to purchase $12,000 for radio broadcasts on the American Christian Network, $1,750 in advertising with the Redoubt News website and $2,248 for broadcast equipment.

Bradford, the PDC spokeswoman, said the state has 90 days from receipt of a complaint to determine whether to dismiss the matter, settle the case with an administrative penalty or, if serious enough, request a formal investigation that could lead to a hearing before the Public Disclosure Commission.

Olympia attorney Walter Smith, who has extensive experience in Washington campaign finance law, states in an email to Hatewatch that 厂丑别补鈥檚 donation to Americans for America 鈥渄oes not appear to be an allowed use of surplus funds.鈥� Smith questioned the legality of the Citizens for Free Speech donation 鈥渨hich does not show up as a charity and raises the same issues in my mind.鈥�

Smith also raised concerns related to two $1,000 donations 厂丑别补鈥檚 campaign surplus fund made to Daniels Prayer Ministry in Olympia, Washington, in March 2017 and last February. Daniels Prayer Ministry is not on Washington鈥檚 registered charities list. However, the state exempts entities recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as religious organizations from its charity registration requirements. The ministry is registered with the IRS as a religious organization.

Bradford said that Smith filed a citizen鈥檚 聽earlier this week concerning 厂丑别补鈥檚 surplus fund contributions to the three unregistered charities. The PDC, she said, has given Shea to respond to his complaint. Smith filed the complaint after he was contacted by Hatewatch for comment on the nonprofit donations.

Hatewatch contacted Smith because he has a history of filing campaign finance complaints against many state legislators, including Shea. In October 2017, Smith filed a campaign finance 聽against Shea for failing to report contributions and expenditures in a timely manner. The complaint resulted in a January 2018 judgment ordering Shea to pay $3,750 in attorney fees to Smith鈥檚 firm and a $1,000 civil penalty to the state. Shea used his campaign surplus funds to pay the attorney fees and fine last January.

Legislators and campaign experts say elected officials usually use surplus campaign funds to support their political parties, hold the funds in reserve for use in future political campaigns for the same office or use the money to pay for expenses directly related to their state position that the state does not reimburse.

In 厂丑别补鈥檚 case, state investigators will likely have to determine if his use of surplus funds to buy radio air time, purchase ads and buy broadcast equipment falls under nonreimbursed, public office-related expenses. The state 聽a nonreimbursed public office related expense as 鈥渁n expenditure incurred by an elected or appointed official, or a member of his or her immediate family, solely because of being an official.鈥�

Shea has routinely used both regular campaign contributions and surplus funds to purchase air time, advertising and broadcast equipment as well as to reimburse himself for travel expenses touring the state advocating splitting Washington in two at the Cascade Mountains to create a 51st state to be called Liberty, state campaign 听蝉丑辞飞.

From October 2017 through October 2018, Shea spent $15,000 from his regular campaign account to purchase air time with American Christian Network (ACN). Just prior to this, from December 2016 through September 2017, Shea instead used $11,000 from his surplus account to purchase ACN airtime.

厂丑别补鈥檚 shows generally open with a lengthy religious indoctrination, followed by 厂丑别补鈥檚 analysis of the news of the day and concluding with an interview of typically far-right leaders. 厂丑别补鈥檚 news analysis is often based on reports from InfoWars and the far-right World Net Daily, both of which the 澳彩开奖 lists as antigovernment, conspiracy and propaganda sites.

Shea has also tapped both his regular campaign account and his surplus account to reimburse himself for travel expenses related to his promotion of a 51st state. Shea reimbursed himself $132 on Sept. 6 and $205 on Sept. 20 out of his surplus account for 51st state related travel expenses, state records show. Shea also withdrew funds from his regular campaign account to pay for 51st state related travel expenses including $90 on Feb. 13, $147 and $58 both on April 10, $801 on June 4, and $119 on Aug. 7.

Shea has won each of his six elections by a comfortable margin in the very conservative district. This has allowed him to collect more than enough donations to cover his campaign expenses. Shea has transferred $140,000 to his surplus campaign account since 2011, state records show.

厂丑别补鈥檚 surplus account has spent $88,000 since it was created, with the largest single expenditures going to the House Republican Organizing Committee that received $5,000 in 2011, $25,000 in 2016 and $5,000 this year. Shea has $51,400 remaining in surplus funds, according to his latest disclosure 聽filed on Sept. 30.

It might not be as easy for Shea to raise money in the future. Eight of his major donors have already issued statements denouncing 厂丑别补鈥檚 religious manifesto, with seven demanding refunds. Two major donors that contributed the maximum of $2,000 to 厂丑别补鈥檚 2018 campaign said they will no longer contribute to Shea in the future.

鈥淣o future contributions will be made to this individual,鈥� Farmers Insurance spokesman Luis Sahagun stated in a Nov. 15 email to Hatewatch.

Avista, a Washington utility, also made it clear the company was done with Shea.

Mary Tyrie, communications manager for Avista, stated in a Nov. 20 email to Hatewatch, 鈥淲e do not plan on contributing to Rep. Shea again.鈥�

Photo illustration by 澳彩开奖

Editor's Note: This post has been updated.