SPOKANE, Wash. — Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives may not take any further action against a Republican lawmaker who has been accused of "domestic terrorism'' unless they get enough Republican votes to expel him.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said she needs at least nine GOP votes, along with all 57 Democrats, to boot state Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, from the chamber.
"We need to have a two-thirds majority to expel him,'' Jinkins said Tuesday, according to The Spokesman-Review newspaper.
Jinkins also said that Democrats plan to release the documents compiled by private investigators in a Dec. 1 report that produced the terrorism allegation. Those supporting documents will be released in the next week or two, Jinkins said.
Investigators in a report prepared for the Legislature said Shea was involved in activities that could be considered domestic terrorism by helping to plan protests against the federal government in Nevada and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Shea refused to talk to investigators, but has since called the allegations lies.
After the report was released, House Republican leaders kicked Shea out of the GOP caucus, and members of both parties called on Shea to resign. Shea refused, but has been removed from committee assignments, lost access to Republican staff support and was moved out of offices controlled by the GOP. His seat was moved to the back row of the House.
But Shea remains an elected representative of the 4th Legislative District.