SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Sideshow Bob’s illegal Washington state PAC

Oct 10, 2017, 5:20 PM

Bob Ferguson...

Attorney General Bob Ferguson. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Washington state’s part-time Attorney General is using your money to operate an illegal political action committee.

That PAC is the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. At the same time, he is also using that office as a bank of political favors, in the same way a lobbyist would. The great news for Sideshow Bob — a name I use because I refuse to build his name ID — is that he knows he will never face any consequences for this and that he can force you to support these actions.

RELATED: Washington has become a monarchy of elites

Yesterday, Sideshow Bob filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The central claim of the suit is that the United States of America had been operating as a rogue, unconstitutional regime until the moment that President Obama decreed that companies must buy condoms, birth control pills and abortifacients for their employees. Do you believe that to be the case?

Actually, please don’t answer that because it cannot be believed. Not only does the constitution not mention birth control, the Bill of Rights is quite clear that Americans have the right to practice their religious conscience in their private life and the United States code makes clear that includes groups of people, companies, churches and organizations. If a Christian doesn’t want to buy contraceptives, he cannot be compelled to do that.

Who to believe? A grifter politician or the knowable, readable, Constitution? U.S. code and multiple Supreme Court rulings that defend our religious rights? But, Sideshow Bob got what he wanted from this suit, but not from me: his name is back in the news and you paid for it and you will pay for the defense of the suit.

The fact of the matter is, Sideshow Bob’s PAC is only part of his misuse of our money; he is also selling favors. Sound Transit broke the law when it decided to give ORCA user data to the dark money, political group funded by big construction and big labor — Mass Transit Now. Anyone who has been in politics or government for more than six months knows you do not provide government property to campaigns. Sound Transit did that, a citizen filed a complaint and Sideshow Bob made it all disappear. What did Bob get in return? I will bet he will get campaign contributions from companies that KUOW and The Seattle Times have pointed out get amazing returns on investment from backing Mass Transit Now.

We could sit here all day detailing Bob’s favor selling and become more irate. But, nothing is more anger-making than this fact: since Washington state doesn’t have an actual attorney general, Bob will face no consequences for all of this. The best solution for citizens is this: either vote for opposition party members or admit you are okay with a one-party state where machine politics — bribes, favors, misuse of taxpayer monies — is the norm.

Oh, solely since Bob is still a lawyer and happily uses his office to attack opponents let me add this: this is an opinion piece.

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Sideshow Bob’s illegal Washington state PAC