During a virtual press briefing about rioting and looting in downtown Seattle—the epicenter of Northwest gun prohibition politics—Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stunned reporters when he professed ignorance of the Seattle neighborhood takeover that has been making headlines across the nation.
Asked about the situation in what has been declared the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ), the former presidential candidate responded incredulously, “Well that’s news to me so I’ll have to reserve any comment about that. I have not heard anything about that, from any credible source. Not that you’re not credible, just before I espouse an opinion I should know of which I speak.”
Inslee has been a staunch anti-gunner, supporting a ban on so-called “assault rifles,” yet he apparently had no knowledge of the fact that this CHAZ area was being patrolled by protesters armed with semiautomatic rifles and sidearms. Critics are wondering how that is possible.
This comment, as noted by KCPQ reporter Brandi Kruse, has been roundly criticized across social media. Kruse tweeted “Speechless.”
Speechless. Washington @GovInslee claims he’s unaware that protesters have taken over nearly 6 city blocks in Seattle and dubbed it an autonomous zone, rendering an entire @SeattlePD precinct useless. It’s been trending nationwide on Twitter. It’s been more than 24 hours. https://t.co/BhpwXlCbEH
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) June 11, 2020
Writing at MyNorthwest.com, KTTH talk host Jason Rantz stated, “Governor Jay Inslee is being widely mocked for saying he wasn’t aware of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, his state’s largest city. This is the biggest story in the country, receiving national attention landing it on the Twitter trending list for over 24 hours.”
Out of touch @GovInslee said he had no clue about the #SeattleAutonomousZone.
Antifa, anarchists and community activist took an entire 6-block radius of his biggest city, have roaming armed guards doing ID checks, and Inslee has no clue.
Tucker Carlson had some choice words. pic.twitter.com/cEgx3Kl53Y
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) June 11, 2020
Could Inslee, who spent several terms in Congress before suddenly quitting eight years ago to run for his current job, be that out-of-touch?
KIRO-FM midday talk host Dori Monson tweeted, “Terrorist takeover of Seattle is ‘news to me’ (Gov. Inslee) says…Sound like Inslee couldn’t run a two-car funeral.”
Terrorist takeover of Seattle is "news to me" @GovInslee says
But our president @realDonaldTrump knows waht's going on here.
Sound like Inslee couldn't run a two-car funeral https://t.co/tzkFbizFqL
— Dori Monson (@dorimonson) June 11, 2020
Recently, Inslee took plenty of heat when it was revealed the state had lost hundreds of millions of dollars in state unemployment benefits to Nigerian scammers while Washington citizens forced out of work by Inslee’s “stay-at-home” orders were left waiting at the mailbox for checks that were slow in coming. The Republican Governors Association skewered the Democrat.
“As working families waited for help, Jay Inslee and his administration were clueless as the state sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Nigerian criminals instead of Washingtonians in need,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar in a press release. “Now Governor Inslee’s negligence is causing even further delays for already-struggling unemployed workers while he continues to shift the blame. It’s time to take responsibility, governor.”
Inslee is running for a third term. He’s got some promising challengers in the Republican camp including anti-tax crusader Tim Eyman, Republic Police Chief Loren Culp, State Sen. Phil Fortunato and former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed.
But Inslee has a solid base in the far-left enclave of Seattle and he will run strong throughout the Puget Sound Basin, where it has often been joked that serial killer Ted Bundy could win an election if he ran as a Democrat.
That’s the challenged for anyone hoping to unseat Inslee.
