State representative Matt Shea has made national headlines – a look at his far-right links draws a line to the Trump White House

Jason Wilson in Portland, Oregon
@jason_a_w
Sat 3 Nov 2018

Matt Shea speaks at a gun rights rally in Olympia, Washington on 13 January 2017. Photograph: Ted S Warren/AP

The Washington state Republican Matt Shea was this week abandoned by donors, over a document he distributed which condemned abortion and same-sex marriage while outlining a “Biblical Basis for War”.

Donald Trump’s rhetoric has stoked antisemitism and hatred, experts warn

Regarding opponents, the minority caucus chair in the Washington state house wrote: “If they do not yield – kill all males.”
Shea is seeking a fifth term as representative for district four, centred on the Spokane Valley. Amid rising concern over far-right invective, particularly over immigration, and its relevance to violent attacks such as the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last week, the case brought him to national attention. Now, new information has emerged about his beliefs and associations on the far right.

Shea’s oft-expressed belief that Muslims and leftists are organizing “counter-states” within the US appears to have been sourced from a conspiracy-minded seven-page memo by Rich Higgins, a national security council staffer in the Trump administration who was fired in July 2017 after the document became public.

more:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/03/matt-shea-washington-republican-biblical-basis-for-war