Oregon Senate Session Canceled After Militia Threat

Senate floor sessions were planned for this weekend, but Saturday’s session was canceled after militia groups threatened to show up at the Capitol in Salem, state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward tweeted Friday evening.

Oregon State Police confirmed to KATU that Saturday’s session was called off. The Associated Press reported a spokeswoman for Senate President Peter Courtney said state police recommended the Capitol be closed Saturday.

For the last two days, Senate Republicans have staged a walkout in protest over a controversial cap and trade bill Democrats say is needed to curb human-caused climate change. The walkout has denied the Senate a quorum.

In her tweet, Steiner Hayward, a Democrat, attached a text message informing members to stay clear of the Capitol.

After media began reporting on her tweet, Steiner Hayward deleted it. But before she did, KATU News had grabbed a screen capture of it.

Before this week’s walkout, rhetoric became heated and Republican state Sen. Brian Boquist made threatening remarks toward other lawmakers and OSP troopers as Gov. Kate Brown and Senate Democrats considered calling in state police to bring missing senators back into the Senate chamber.

Video shows masked thieves using sledgehammer in brazen Lululemon heist before fleeing in U-Haul

Biden, Who Donated Less Than 1 Percent of His Income to Charity at Times, Is Getting the Single Most ‘Extravagant’ Presidential Pension in History

Jasmine Crockett Has Vulgar Response to SCOTUS After She Lost District in Texas

Trump announces Venezuela turning over millions of barrels of oil to US government ‘immediately’

Massive luxury handbag heist caught on camera as heavily armed police swarm California store

Maduro hires Reagan-era DOJ attorney in narco-terrorism case

US gains leverage over Canadian oil, weakens China amid US plans to overhaul Venezuelan oil market

Abrego Garcia says government can’t re-arrest him despite recent deportation order

House Republicans Are Preparing to Override Two Trump Vetoes: Report

Crockett says claims she has a fake ‘street girl’ persona are racist

‘A Massive Betrayal’: Trump Sparks Pro-Life Fury by Telling Republicans to Be ‘Flexible’ on Hyde Amendment

Trump backs Maduro loyalist over Venezuela opposition leader in post-capture transition

White House says ‘range of options,’ including US military, on table as Trump renews push to acquire Greenland

Lawmakers mourn loss of Doug LaMalfa

Why the Trump administration is calling the Maduro mission a ‘law enforcement operation’

Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek, both Democrats, issued a joint statement Friday afternoon condemning Boquist’s remarks.

“We strongly condemn the comments made this week in the Oregon State Capitol by Senator Brian Boquist threatening lawmakers and Oregon State Police troopers. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day in the name of protecting Oregonians and should never be subject to these kinds of threats, let alone from a public official. His comments have created fear among employees in our workplace. We will always defend free speech and welcome frank policy discussions, but threats like these are unacceptable.”

When Republicans began their walk out Thursday, Brown called in state troopers to find the senators and bring them back to the Senate, but most have reportedly left the state.

Shortly after it was announced the Senate had canceled its Saturday session, the Oregon Republican Party tweeted the Democrats had canceled the session because of a “fear that Republican voters may show up.”