Unfit for office: Spokane-area officials want Matt Shea removed from his legislative seat

The walls are beginning to close in around state Rep. Matt Shea, the far-right Republican from Spokane Valley, Washington, with a penchant for connecting with militias and making plans for a violent civil war.

During the past week, several Spokane-area officials announced that they considered Shea unfit for office, joining a chorus begun by Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knevovich, a Republican, who had made his view of the matter known for several years. These include Mayor David Condon, Police Chief Craig Meidl, the Spokane Police Guild, and the chief of the county deputies’ union.

The focus of their ire is Shea’s ongoing affiliations with the secessionist “Liberty” movement that seeks to create a new, militia-friendly state run by “Patriots,” along with his apparent participation in the online surveillance of his political enemies.