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.

As cattle herds shrink and beef prices rise, investors back AI cow collars

Stephen A. Smith Stunned When Kevin Kiley Tells Him California Bans Voter ID Requirements

Travelers in Airport Shop Get Shock of Their Lives When Stuffed Animal Staring at Them Turns Out to Not Be Stuffed at All

Schumer knocks Trump on Iran, plan to send ICE to airports: ‘Asking for trouble’

New Whitey Bulger Writings Suggest Man in Prison for Murder Was ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ to Protect Corrupt FBI Agent

Mamdani’s estate tax plan could drive wealth out of state, critics warn

Newsom’s claim Texas and Florida are the ‘real high tax states’ picked apart by expert: ‘Fatally flawed’

‘One in a Million’ – Authorities Reveal Details of How 2 Police Vehicles Were Hit by Falling Shrapnel in California

Mullin’s confirmation survives key test vote as DHS remains shutdown

Trump mocks ‘discombobulated’ Schumer over Democrats’ near gaffe on funding ICE

Maher Shuts Down Hollywood Actor Shilling for Kamala and ‘Epic’ Campaign Rally

An Incredible Share Of Migrant Households Use Welfare, Study Finds

What to expect from DC traffic as peak cherry blossom season approaches

Wisconsin Dems Cruelly Mock Retired Republican Senator Suffering Multiple Personal Tragedies

The Iran Conflict Exposed America’s Major Energy Weakness: Global Oil

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.”