State Representative Leads Mini-Insurrection In Oregon

 

     Representative Mike Nearman casually strode out of the Capitol building in Oregon on December 21st as the electoral votes were being counted. The Republican from Independence unmistakably recognized the white supremacist mob as he left, with their Confederate flags, Patriot Prayer patches, unmasked faces, and chants to "arrest Kate Brown" (the Democratic governor). His response? He held the door open for them. 

     The crowd immediately began fighting with police officers, several of whom were assaulted with bear mace and projectiles. Numerous arrests have been made and more are expected. 

     For assisting in the coup, Nearman is facing criminal charges. When asked for comment, he simply asked where the video footage was discovered and refused to offer any answers. If he does not resign, he could also face the loss of committee assignments, pay, and even his job.

UPDATE: Mike Nearman has been charged with two misdemeanors carrying up to 13 months in prison and stripped of his committee assignments. He was also fined $2,000 by House Speaker Tina Kotek. Now, we need to expel him, ban him from holding office again, get him divorced from his wife, and cost him his social media.

UPDATE #2: A video has surfaced showing Mike Nearman organizing the Oregon Capitol Coup before it happened, giving violent white supremacists instructions on where to enter. He may face more criminal charges because of this. Oregon Republicans have called on Nearman to resign. If he does not, he will likely be expelled from office.

UPDATE #3: Mike Nearman has been expelled from the Oregon House of Representatives by a 59-1 vote, with his being the only dissenting vote. According to the GOP, Nearman lied when they asked if further evidence against him would surface, resulting in every Republican voting for his expulsion. He has also resigned from the boards of the various alt-right organizations he belonged to. Because he worked odd jobs before joining the legislature, he is currently unemployed. If he is convicted, banned from holding office or using social media again, and gets divorced from his wife, we can consider this a victory.

UPDATE #4: Mike Nearman pled guilty and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, a $2,700 fine, 80 hours of community service, and a ban from Oregon Capitol grounds. His administrative assistant was appointed to replace him, meaning he has also successfully been blocked from office. I am urging the six police officers who were injured that day to file a civil suit against Mike Nearman for damages.