Folks, the fallout from what is going on with the attacks from two dark red money crisis actors with microphones on our state legislature is perpetuating. I’m going to allege/hypothesize today with a lot of suspicion and insufficient evidence that what we are dealing with here is nothing short of an attempt to make our media more partisan, not less.
See I remember Heather “Newsbrooke” Brooke, Ph.D’s The Silent State. I also remember the late Andrew Breitbart pushing for a more partisan media saying members of the media have bias. I feel we’re becoming more like Britain with their overcontrolling government public relations and partisan media and less like Washington State bit by bit.
Jonathan Choe and Brandi Kruse constantly attack our media and other institutions. Some egg them on, and I admit at times I’m guilty of this. Homeless, Inc. needed a whacking, for one. For two, “D-fund the police” was dangerous. But ongoing efforts to attack what is left of our media covering the state legislature are equally a threat to us all.
Additionally, we have the question of if they’re lobbying. I got this response from the Public Disclosure Commission as I weigh whether to file a formal complaint against Brandi Kruse for unreported lobbying:
“A program addressed to the general public, a substantial portion of which is intended, designed or calculated primarily to influence state legislation is called grassroots lobbying. Entities that already report to the Public Disclosure Commission, such as lobbying firms or political action committees, often report their grassroots lobbying activities as part of their financial reports. Any person or entity making grassroots lobbying expenditures not reported by a registered lobbyist, a candidate, or a political committee exceeding $1,500 in the aggregate in a one-month period or exceeding $3,000 in the aggregate in any three-month period must register as a sponsor of a grassroots lobbying campaign.”
Considering that Kruse was campaigning against the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and, after several warnings, proceeded to support defunding paratransit – it’s tempting to allege she’s a lobbyist. After all, everybody’s favorite partisan crisis actor who claims limited access was seen in the State Senate Republican Caucus Room:
What reporters get access to legislative caucuses? How many times have Brandi Kruse and Jonathan Choe worked to improve open government or worked with the Coalition for Open Government? I sure don’t recall seeing them at our latest breakfast. Additionally, rightfully or wrongfully, Senate Republicans gave Choe access to the Senate Wings:
This is all after Choe & Kruse bullied the state legislative reporters’ association to the point they had to hand accreditation responsibilities to the State Legislature. The association alleges Choe & Kruse are partisan and unfair – and I’ve seen ample evidence of this. Not just refusing to have me on to defend the CCA’s transit investments… 😉
I also find it rich as in sickening that Senator Keith Goehner and Rep. Jim Walsh got on Choe’s video so the same Goehner who opposed at every turn the 2022 Open Public Meetings Act renovations could talk about “open press and… complete access”. Ugh.
I’m not sure what’s next except the credentialling process will be restarted and rebuilt once the legislature is done for the 2025 Season. It’s a total mess created by two partisan crisis actors who just might have crossed the threshhold into becoming lobbyists. I have also filed a public records request of the State Senate about this. But one thing is for certain: These two crisis actors are further dividing our state and have gone too far.
Finally, this newsletter is going out a day early as I will be on transit most of today and tomorrow going to several Museum of Flight events. Sorry for any inconvienence.