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.

Lawyer says 250-foot Trump arch disrupts historic sightlines cherished by veterans seeking burial at Arlington

Blue States with Powerful Teachers’ Unions Have Far Worse Reading Scores for Students Than Red States with Weak Unions

Republicans fear they have little to offer voters as Congress leaves town

China Throws Its Weight Around in America’s Backyard Over Taiwan Backing

Who is Bert Mizusawa The retired Major General challenging Sen. Mark Warner

A swath of past anti-Trump characters have lost Democratic primary bids

Who is Dario Amodei, the Anthropic CEO pushing independent AI oversight?

Dem’s data center attack in critical Senate race hits snag when money trail surfaces: ‘Jekyll-and-Hyde’

Kirk family has powerful evidence — but Utah law could derail wrongful death case: experts

High School Football Team Shines ‘the Light of Jesus’ by Giving Every Opponent a Bible After Games

Which ‘Fake News’ Outlet Will Trump Ban from the White House Next? He Just Dropped Some Major Hints, and It’s Making Them Squirm

Watch: MLB Player Knocked Out Cold in ‘Terrifying Moment’ – Then Medics Manage to Make Things Worse

Why the House let out early is a matter of debate after Johnson says chamber has ‘done its work’

DOJ Declares it Will No Longer Enforce Two Gun-Control Statutes That Are ‘Inconsistent with the Second Amendment’

Vance calls midterms a referendum on ‘common sense versus pure unadulterated crazy’

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.”