BREAKING: Recall effort of Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant can proceed. Court finds 4 of 6 accusations brought forth represent "substantial conduct clearly amounting to misfeasance, malfeasance, or a violation of the oath of office" for which there is "no legal justification."

Accusations deemed justification for recall:

-Sawant relinquished duties of office to outside political org
-Misused city resources
-Misused position by letting protesters into City Hall
-Led protest to mayor's house despite it being protected by a state program due to threats

Next steps: Recall can proceed to signature gathering phase. Roughly 11,000 signatures are needed (25% of the number of votes cast in election). If they get that, voters would decide in 2021 whether Sawant stays in office. Worth noting that recalls are rarely successful.

Read 4 tweets

Brandi Kruse

@BrandiKruse

15 Sep

https://twitter.com/danielwinlander/status/1305610476500344832

I just got off a 40-minute phone conversation with Rep. Jenny Graham about this voicemail and the story that prompted it. A few takeaways in this thread. (1/5)

https://twitter.com/danielwinlander/status/1305610476500344832

She knows she screwed up. She calls it a “human” moment and says she’ll take whatever “comeuppance” might come. She said her words came from a place of hurt and rage over lived experiences with abuse and sex trafficking. (2/5)

@danielwinlander

Rep. Graham: “I do plan to apologize (to @danielwinlander). He wronged me Brandi, but that doesn’t mean he deserved me calling him what I did.”

Walters has stood by his reporting and says Graham has not pointed out any specific factual inaccuracies. (3/5)

Read 6 tweets

Brandi Kruse

@BrandiKruse

11 Aug

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan are expected to speak at 11am. We will carry it live on #Q13FOX once it begins. I will tweet updates here.

Chief Best: "For me personally this was a decision I wrestled with, but it was time."

Chief Best: "To the men and women of the Seattle Police Department sworn and civilian, you will always have my respect, you will always be in my heart. You are without a doubt the best police department in the country."

Read 10 tweets

Brandi Kruse

@BrandiKruse

11 Aug

@CarmenBest

BREAKING: Seattle Police Chief @CarmenBest is going to resign, two sources familiar with her decision confirm. The announcement is imminent, I'm told. There is an 11am presser scheduled for tomorrow with the Mayor. Unclear if announcement will take place then. (THREAD) #Q13FOX

@SeattleCouncil

The Chief's decision comes as the @SeattleCouncil made a series of cuts to @SeattlePD's budget today, including forced layoffs of officers and cuts to pay for command staff.

@SeattleCouncil

The budget cuts come after months of protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which spurred pledges from @SeattleCouncil members to defund SPD by 50%.

Read 5 tweets

Brandi Kruse

@BrandiKruse

30 Jul

@BobFergusonAG

THREAD: In March, Washington Attorney General @BobFergusonAG's campaign sent out an email suggesting President Trump might try to delay the November election. In an interview with Ferguson, I laughed off his concerns.

@WAGOP

At the time, @WAGOP Chair @CalebHeimlich called on Ferguson to apologize, accusing him of fundraising off fear.

@marc_lotter

The director of strategic communications for the Trump campaign, @marc_lotter, told me that any suggestion Trump would try to delay the 2020 election was "the dumbest thing" he'd ever heard.