KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘A violation of the constitution’: Curley reacts after ‘unusual’ suspect arrested for stealing millionaires’ tax petition signatures

Jun 10, 2026, 7:26 PM

A man caught on video allegedly stealing signatures from a petition to repeal Washington’s millionaires’ tax has been arrested.

KIRO host John Curley reacted to the incident, in which a man allegedly took signature sheets from a woman collecting them outside a Safeway in Puyallup.

“This is what democracy looks like, according to this guy,” Curley said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “So you’re a big guy, you can walk in, you push a lady out of the way, because might makes right, and you collect, you grab the signatures, and you get in your truck, and you drive away.”

Curley pointed out the signature sheets contain private information, such as names and addresses. Beyond the theft of personal information, Curley argued the act was an attack on the constitutional right to petition the government.

“You’re stealing that, you are also taking a property … this is constitutional at this point, this is a violation of the constitution,” he said.

An ‘unusual’ suspect and the millionaires’ tax money trail

KIRO producer Joe Wallace pointed out the man doesn’t look like the usual type to harass signature gatherers.

“This guy is the antithesis of the typical signature protester,” he said. “It’s unusual.”

“You were giving credit for not having a purse,” Curley quipped.

“It’s nice to have some diversity in our protest,” Wallace responded.

Curley said the man is probably associated with a union in some way, as he would benefit from the millionaires’ tax.

“It’s coming to Washington, it’s going to go to Olympia, and then the people that get bought and paid for, I think they’re referred to as prostitutes, that are elected, bought with union money. They will then dole it out to all the groups,” he said.

“I’m just saying he looks like he was storming the Capitol on January 6,” Wallace responded.

“Glad we’re finding new people to violate the laws,” Curley replied.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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