I guess the simple answer is that if they lost their positions, it would decimate the Republican party.
The treachery is blatant, though. Look at this story about an Oregon representative who intentionally breached security, and planned it ahead of time.
Just days before Rep. Mike Nearman helped armed protesters enter the closed Oregon Capitol building in December, endangering fellow lawmakers and Capitol employees, he coached constituents on the exact steps to get his help breaking in.
A video shows Nearman, a Republican from outside Independence, walking constituents through the step by step process of where to stand, how to text him and what help he would provide that would allow them to break the rules and get into the Capitol during the Dec. 21 special legislative session.
NEW FOOTAGE: watch Oregon's @RepNearman tell people, step-by-step, how to breach the Oregon Capitol… with his assistance.
Days later, the breach happened.
Videos adapted from @Oregonian
Story https://t.co/9tNZpxZHnH pic.twitter.com/pEQO6KsiaB— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) June 5, 2021
He does so with a wink and a nod, interspersing the instructions with disclaimers that he’s not giving out a real cell phone number (he is and it’s his number), that he knows nothing about the planned “Operation Hall Pass” and that nothing like that will actually happen.
In fact, exactly what he described did occur, prosecutors and investigators say. Protesters gathered outside the Capitol’s west entrance in obvious protest of the closure, Nearman left the House chambers where lawmakers were gathered doing state business and he walked out a Capitol entrance, leaving the open door hanging long enough for angry citizens to grab it and enter.
The session during which he coached constituents was livestreamed on Dec. 16 and is posted to YouTube under the account of “The Black Conservative Preacher.” Nearman said he was speaking from the office of the Freedom Foundation, a group tied to conservative billionaires that pays Nearman to serve as a senior fellow.
My first thought was this had to be one of the conservative wackaloons from Eastern Oregon, but no — his district is just outside Salem, about halfway between Eugene and Portland in Western Oregon. These blackguards are everywhere.
He is facing some penalties, though, particularly since he’s done this before. From his Wikipedia page:
During a December 21, 2020 special session, Nearman let armed protesters into the Oregon State Capitol to protest against health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon. Joey Gibson, political activist and founder of Patriot Prayer, posted a video on Parler indicating a state representative let the group into the capitol, and in January 2021 security video was released of Nearman allowing similar right-wing protesters to enter the Oregon State Capitol Building through a door.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek fined Nearman $2,000 and stripped him of his committee assignments and appointments. Kotek also asked him to resign. Kotek and others are planning on filing a formal complaint about Nearman’s actions creating a hostile workplace. Nearman also gave up his Capitol building badge; he agreed not to let unauthorized people into the building and must give 24 hours notice before he enters the building. Oregon State Police opened a criminal investigation against him.
On April 30, 2021 prosecutors charged Nearman with official misconduct in the first degree (Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum 364 days in prison and a US$6,250 fine) and criminal trespass in the second degree (Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine). Nearman did not appear in court on May 11 when he was arraigned on the charges, and his attorney did not file a plea. Nearman must appear in court in person or remotely for a June 29 hearing.
In June 2021, video was discovered of a meeting at the office of the Freedom Foundation on December 16, 2020, during which Nearman detailed his plan to allow protestors entry to the capitol, which he dubbed “Operation Hall Pass”. He couched it in a layer of irony, claiming to know nothing of the plan and saying that the cellphone number he gave out was just random numbers.
Lock him up.
That looks a lot like providing material support to terrorists to me.
Can we get a chorus of Randy Rainbow’s parody, “Sedition!”
I am sick and tired of Gibson and company screwing with my state. They are NOT even Oregonians. Gibson is from Washington. The Bundy crew was from Nevada. LEAVE OREGON ALONE! Oregon can do just fine without outside “help” from inbred redneck assholes.
Additionally the core advocates for “Greater Idaho” are, guess what, from fricking Idaho. Fuck the border wall. At this point Oregon needs a wall to keep our own countrymen out because we’re surrounded by shitbags.
@4, Throwing ducks and chickens and so on at them might work better, it’s known to cause people to “Run Away! Run Away!”. Also try dropping a cow on them, also known to be effective, albeit with these fools you may also have to supply the giant wooden chicken target as well as the ballistic cow. In nothing else works, try the rabbit. (Don’t worry about Holy Hand Grenades, these eejits can’t even figure out how masks work, much less count up to
fivethree.)Off topic, but i think everyone here needs to see this courageous speech recently given by a Texas high school valedictorian. She ditched her Pre approved speech to talk about the awful and oppressive abortion law in Texas.
https://www.seventeen.com/life/real-girl-stories/a36620593/dallas-high-school-valedictorian-paxton-smith-calls-out-texas-abortion-law-graduation-speech/
This is where I really miss Ed Brayton. He would have had a field day with the idiot.
And in that vein… Rick Wiles, and some of his family are down with COVID-19.
Another of the Usual Suspects has suggested to Trump that he (a) run for a House seat, (b) get elected Speaker, (c) impeach Biden, and (d) be president again. Not sure I can count all the ways for that plan to fail…
I agree lock him up !
“Why are the traitors still in power.”
Because liberals/Democrats are spineless wimps who think trusting “The Process,” are in denial that America’s mainstream right-wing have become fully-fledged fascists, and believe never getting their hands bloody to get the right things done makes them “civilized.”
That’s why.
EDIT: “… who think trusting “The Process” will always result in justice…
…and throw away the keys
@3 Quit trying to blame Washington and Idaho for your home-grown loonies, dude. They’re yours. Own it.
@12 Kitty
Sure we have a few here but by and large the movement leaders are coming from out of state. Gibson and his crew is from Vancouver WA, and Idaho has long been a hotbed for white supremacy and militia movements. I won’t “own it” because it isn’t mine.
@12 Kitty
I live in Oregon as well. Ray is not blaming other states for our homegrown loonies. The stand-off in Burns only got so bad because of people from other states coming in to prop up our loonies. Right now we have idiots in Klamath Falls mad about not having water for farming in places that should not have European style farming. They are actively recruiting out of staters to escalate the situation since they can’t get enough locals to cause the level of trouble they want. Of course of all this includes crazy Oregonians, but they alone can only get a certain level of support to take it so far. They recruit from out of state to take it past that point.
Rep. Nearman clearly seems to be under the influence of methamphetamine in that video. Any experienced LEO would see that and profile him accordingly. Oh, wait, he’s white and republican. Never mind.
Smacks of Sovereign Citizen. ” I put the disclaimers in so under the 1567 law of xyz you have no ability to think otherwise. Neener neener.”
Yeah, that whole ‘wink and a nod’ bit is mostly just likely to get the judge and prosecutors annoyed with him. “What do you take us for, idiots?”