SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Slain Kittitas County deputy’s family did not want Inslee at funeral

Mar 28, 2019, 4:30 PM

Kittitas, Ryan Thompson...

Kittitas County Deputy Ryan Thompson was killed in the line of duty March 19 near Ellensburg. (KIRO 7)

(KIRO 7)

As we were watching the memorial for Kittitas County Deputy Ryan Thompson take place on Thursday, I asked the question, did Governor Jay Inslee leave the campaign trail to go to the memorial service?

Last week, I said on the show that Jay Inslee has blood on his hands. He has declared Washington to be a sanctuary state. And it was an illegal immigrant who murdered this Kittitas County deputy.

While announcing his campaign for president, Inslee declared how proud he is that we have attracted so many illegal immigrants to Washington.

While other places close their borders and fear the unfamiliar, we are the state that opens our communities to immigrants and refugees seeking safety, shelter, and sanctuary.

RELATED: Watch | Memorial service for Deputy Ryan Thompson

There is a difference between immigrants and refugees who come here legally, and people who sneak into our country illegally. What Jay Inslee has declared is that Washington is a magnet destination for illegal immigrants, just as the Puget Sound has become a magnet for heroin addicts.

And now one of those illegal immigrants, who was getting safe haven because of our governor’s policies, has murdered one of our law enforcement officers. This cop killer got in the country legally, but why was he still here after his visa expired? Because we’re a sanctuary state.

And so I asked the question of whether or not Inslee planned to attend the deputy’s funeral. We’ve just gotten an answer from Inslee’s communications director.

Governor Inslee and his wife, Trudi, made time to be there. But, when they spoke with Deputy Ryan Thompson’s family, the family said they preferred he not be there.

The governor’s office did not know why the Thompson family made this decision.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that Jay Inslee has blood on his hands. Maybe when an illegal immigrant murders a cop, we should look to the policies that make this state a safe harbor.

This is not the first time a cop has been murdered by an undocumented immigrant in Washington. We don’t cooperate with federal authorities like ICE. We make this one of the easiest places in the nation to be an illegal immigrant.

I shouldn’t have to use this disclaimer, but often people will say to me, “Are you saying citizens never kill cops?” No, I’ve never said that.

But when somebody who should not be in this country kills a police officer — that is a death that could easily have been avoided if we had simply followed our own laws. When our governor’s policies lead to tragedy, we should be able to pin that tragedy on him.

This is not about politics. I said the same thing about Mike Huckabee when his clemency toward Marice Clemmons led to the murder of four Lakewood cops. I would never vote for Mike Huckabee for that reason. I’ll say that about a Republican who enables cop killers and I’ll say that about a Democrat who enables cop killers.

Police tape runs across a crime scene. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)...

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Dori: Slain Kittitas County deputy’s family did not want Inslee at funeral