‘Communists are lying in wait!’: Republican lawmaker and ally played the paranoia card, urged crowd to prepare for civil unrest
Audio obtained by the Guardian shows Matt Shea said ‘communists are lying in wait’ and associate told audience to collect ‘an AR-15’ and ‘rounds of ammo’
Washington state Republican representative Matt Shea and several associates regaled an audience with conspiracy theories, separatist visions, and exhortations for listeners to arm themselves ahead of a looming civil war, at a gathering at a remote north-eastern religious compound last year.
In recordings obtained by the Guardian, Shea and Jack Robertson, also known as radio personality John Jacob Schmidt, invoked their visions and fears of a violent leftist revolt in speeches at the 2018 God and Country event in Marble.