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.

Trump Announces Deal to ‘Substantially Lower the Price of Ground Beef’

Chinese Man Charged with Illegally Voting in US Election and Trying to Frame Someone Else

Two US Army Corps of Engineers employees among 8 killed in Alaska charter plane crash

WATCH: Deputies hunt wanted man through cornfield after high-speed chase caught on camera

Black voters rip Dems over taking them for granted in El-Sayed’s backyard: ‘Hush us up’

Trump-appointed judge blocks blue state’s crackdown on ICE detention center

Breaking: Supreme Court Sides with Trump on White House Ball Room Construction

NY Knicks Owner Turns Against Kathy Hochul, Gives Big to Republican Opponent

ICC president decries being sanctioned by US: ‘Demise of international rule of law’

Appeals court upholds Letitia James subpoena block as DOJ vows to appeal to Supreme Court

Trump to transform spaceflight from spectacle to status quo targeting 3 launches per day

Revealed: The ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ That Kept Devastating Karmelo Anthony Evidence Out of Court and What that Evidence Was

Surprise election upset shows hating Trump is no longer enough as Democratic voters turn to new playbook

Surrogate Mom and Baby Flee to TX for Protection as Bio Parents Sue Her for Refusing to Abort Baby

Karmelo Anthony fights for new trial as lawyers clash over unwritten deal that shaped case

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.”