Inslee Responds After State Rep. Calls Reporters 'Dirty, Godless'

OLYMPIA, WA - Gov. Jay Inslee has responded to controversial comments made over the weekend at a gun rally in Spokane by Republican state Rep. Matt Shea. Shea reportedly called news reporters "those dirty, godless, hateful people."

Meanwhile, Shea serves on a state task force on public records with members of the media.

Inslee called for Shea to step down from the task force - and compared Shea's comments to anti-press comments made by President Donald Trump. Shea's comments were first reported by the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

"State Rep. Matt Shea’s comment should disqualify him from serving the [state Legislature] public records task force. There is no excuse for condoning such ill-informed and radical rhetoric from the House GOP caucus chair. We must protect #freepress and freedom of speech," Inslee wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

Shea, who represents Spokane Valley, has been a controversial figure for years. In 2018, he attended a forum on Eastern Washington seceding and forming a new state. He has also blocked many reporters on Twitter.

The Legislature created the public records task force in the wake of a lawsuit filed by multiple media outlets last year. The suit alleged lawmakers violated state law by refusing to release certain public records. In January, a judge agreed, ruling that the Legislature has to comply with the state open records law.

In response, the Legislature tried to pass a bill that would exempt lawmakers from the Public Records Act. The bill was introduced on a Wednesday, did not get a formal public hearing, and was approved two days later without passing through a committee. Inslee later vetoed SB 6617.

Shea hasn't addressed the comments he made on Sunday. But on Facebook Monday, he posted a link to an article about how reporters are the "enemy of the people."

"The more they hate, the more they censor, the more they lie, the more the prove the necessity of Patriots...We The People... to hold the line drawn by the Constitution," Shea wrote on his Facebook page.

Image via state of Washington