Brandi Kruse
Politics • Culture • News
The Washington State GOP just lost a vocal ally – me
As a proud Independent, it's time to act like one
June 25, 2024
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Over the weekend, the Washington State Republican Party sent out a statement perpetuating false lines of attack against my friend Jason Rantz for his diligent and factual reporting on gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird.

This statement was detached from reality and not reflective of a serious or morally consistent political movement.

As an independent podcaster, I’ve chosen to lend my voice and 15 years of earned credibility to candidates, causes, and policies that I believe will help move our state forward and unwind destructive one-party rule. While not a Republican myself, I’ve spoken at countless GOP events, campaigned on behalf of Republican candidates, testified in Olympia in favor of Republican bills, held rallies in support of Republican-backed initiatives, donated to Republican causes, and platformed Republican candidates who otherwise get little media attention.

Recent comments from the Party have led me to reassess my involvement in some of those activities. 

First, a bit of background.

Despite photo evidence showing Semi Bird wearing military badges he did not earn, and a 2009 letter Bird wrote and signed admitting to committing “nothing less than a fraud against the United States Army,” loyalists have been duped into believing it’s all made up. Some are even parroting Bird’s outlandish claim that he is being targeted because he’s black. He’s compared the stories about him to a public lynching and suggested it’s on par with the treatment of blacks during the civil rights era.

Yikes.

In 13 years covering Washington politics, Semi Bird is the most flawed political candidate I’ve ever covered – and it’s not even close.

Even before the credible accusations of stolen valor, there were already a laundry list of lies and deceit from Bird going back decades – enough to paint a clear picture of what kind of man he is. He lied about being court martialed when asked about it in 2022, claiming it was his cousin by the same name. He hid a felony gun charge. He only admitted to a bank fraud conviction when it was reported by The Seattle Times. He has dismissed 911 tapes that capture him berating dispatchers and throwing his wealth in their face.

I’ve long ago lost faith that Bird supporters will see through his façade. Nor is it my job to try to convince them.

It is often said that the job of the media is to hold powerful people accountable. But that’s not exactly right. The job of the media is to give citizens the information they need to hold powerful people accountable – if they choose to use it.

The Seattle-based press corps has failed in that regard for too long. It’s one of the key reasons I quit my job at FOX 13 to go independent. Like Jason Rantz, I have focused the vast majority of my energy on the party in power and the very real threat posed by a consolidation of that power. Democrats are dangerously close to reaching supermajorities – which would allow them to act on their worst impulses.

I continue to believe that electing Bob Ferguson as governor would lead our state down a path it cannot recover from. But it is now clear that petty party loyalties matter more to the State Republican Party than avoiding that fate.

Furthermore, the Party is willing to throw vocal and effective allies under the bus in the name of protecting a deeply flawed candidate who has little chance of making it past the August primary.

“Washington Republicans must not let media-fueled controversies turn us against each other,” Friday’s statement from the WA GOP read.

Reporting on the existence of a letter Bird himself wrote and signed is not the media “fueling controversies.” It’s the media doing its job. Sad that it takes Rantz, a conservative radio host, to be the one to properly vet a conservative candidate. The Right has long valued that brand of watchdog reporting – unless it’s exposing one of their own, it seems.

If possible, a statement from the Snohomish County Republican Party was even worse. It called Rantz’ reporting “vile and deceitful.”

“The Snohomish County Republican Party finds no merit in the allegations of stolen valor, firmly denounces the actions of those who resort to such depths and implores Bonneville Media Group, and its hosts, to retract these statements, condemn such conduct, and take necessary steps to prevent future instances of such deceptive behaviors from its hosts and or employees.”

The statements come at a time when both Rantz and I are being inundated with hate and threats from Bird supporters – both veiled and direct. While I have not spoken about it publicly until now, these threats have warranted the involvement of law enforcement and made my family feel unsafe in our own home.

Make no mistake, the WA GOP is aware of this vitriol – but still chose to fan the flames by blaming the "media" for Bird's own behavior.

Considering these statements, I will be taking a step back from GOP-sponsored activities from now through November and into the foreseeable future. I will be refocusing my efforts on our show and pushing harder than ever to convince voters to declare independence from the poison nature of political parties.  

There are a handful of GOP-related events I already have on my calendar, and I will make good on those commitments. I will also maintain my support of several candidates and causes:

Dave Reichert is the only chance we have of beating Bob Ferguson in November. He has stayed out of the political infighting, maintained his fiercely independent nature, and shown himself to be a morally strong leader. I will do everything in my power to support his campaign in the coming months.

The Let’s Go Washingtonian initiatives benefit every single working-class person in our state, regardless of party. I will continue to push for the passage of all three initiatives already on the November ballot, as well as I-2066 should it gather the necessary number of signatures by July 5.  

My partnership with Future 42 has nothing to do with political party, but rather good policy. Their work is important in turning the state around and I'm proud to help play a role in it.

I continue to believe Washington needs political balance. While the two-party system is destructive, a one-party system is even worse. What has changed for me over the past week is the belief that the Republican Party is somehow fundamentally different than the Democratic Party and, thus, more worthy of my time and talents.

In truth, both serve their own needs first and the needs of the People of Washington second.

Shame on me for not seeing that sooner.

As a proud Independent, it's time to act like one.

 

 

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I struggled with what to talk to you about tonight. 

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Then I decided to ignore that good advice entirely.

Too much is at stake to be polite. 

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A war that has pit sanity against insanity. 

Pragmatism against idealism. 

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It's a war that began long before I moved here 15 years ago. It started silently and it was mostly waged in the shadows.

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My full remarks to President Donald Trump
Disrupting violent extremism in all forms should be a nonpartisan pursuit.
 

 

 

I was honored this week to join President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and other independent content creators for a roundtable on Antifa.

While a certain joke about TDS is getting a lot of attention, the underlying mission of the meeting was serious – deadly serious.

For years, organized left-wing radicals have sought to influence public policy through coercion: using harassment, threats, vandalism, and violence as their tools. From the Occupy movement, to the May Day riots, to the "Summer of Love" and up to the most recent anti-ICE actions, I've followed these activities closely – and been the target of their tactics far too many times.

Whether you call them Antifa, terrorists, radicals, or just criminals – understanding, investigating, and disrupting violent extremism in all forms should be a nonpartisan pursuit.

Here are my full remarks to President Donald Trump:

Mr. President, you’re going to hear us be very fired up today, as you can tell. It’s because some of us have been covering Antifa for 15 years and have never had anyone in a position of authority even acknowledge their existence.

The single most powerful thing you’ve done to deal with this scourge has been acknowledging that Antifa is a real thing. I genuinely believe there would be people at these tables who would be dead today and would have been killed in Portland had you not called them a terror organization and said you're going to bring the full weight of the federal government to bear.

I talked to Katie Daviscourt in Portland the other day. She’d been assaulted all summer. And she said the same thing. They didn’t seem as quick to violence as soon as you made that designation. They’re worried. There’s been two dozen or so arrested in Portland. They don’t want to go to federal prison.

There’s this video of one of them who was in the face of an ICE agent and then he’s in custody shaking. Once you take the mask off, they’re nothing.

I was told by probably a dozen people not to tell you this. I’m going to tell you anyway because it’s relevant to what we’re talking about. I’m living proof that you can recover from TDS. I had strong Trump Derangement Syndrome for probably eight years. This is one of the reasons I recovered from it.

By the way, it’s much better to not have TDS. I’m happier. I’m healthier. I'm more successful. I even think I got a little more attractive after I got rid of my TDS.

I’m a reporter in Seattle and frankly, I could not care any less what any of you have to say about this meeting (looks to Press Corps). I could not care any less. We’re not here for you. I’m not here to convince any of you that Antifa is a real thing. Because if you have not come to that conclusion by now, you are never going to come to that conclusion because you don’t want to see it. And you’re going to say it’s a bunch of right-wing conservative influencers who are here spinning a tale.

I was one of you. I was a mainstream reporter in Seattle for 10 years. I was a TV reporter, on the streets, doing my job and I was still assaulted by Antifa. So, it’s not about being conservative. It’s about people who go out there and show what they’re doing.

When I saw after all those years that the media wouldn’t be honest about what was happening, that Democratic politicians wouldn’t be honest about what was happening, I thought, well, if they’re not being honest about that, maybe they’re not being honest about President Trump either. It opened my mind to just looking at things for what they were. And now I find you quite funny, actually (looks to President Trump).

Again, I could not care any less the stories that go to print. This is what I care about: We have three and a half years. Nothing is guaranteed. Although, I think if Democrats keep it up, we’ll probably have Republican presidents for the next three decades. But nothing is guaranteed. So, what I want to see over the next three and a half years is a fullcourt press to dismantle Antifa once and for all in a meaningful way. I know Andy Ngo, we talked before this about some ideas. We want the federal government to take as many of these cases as possible and look at the interstate travel between Portland and Seattle when it comes to these people who are committing violent acts.

Hopefully, in three and a half years, they will be a shell of their former selves.

President Trump:

Well I think we're very close, and it’s Antifa and many others. Unfortunately, there are many others, bad ones. Most have been named terrorist organizations. There a couple that we’re going to focus on, but I think we’ve got it pretty well covered, but there are many others. Specifically today is Antifa and it’s really bad and we’re going to get it cleaned up.

Thank you very much. I’m glad you no longer have TDS. I feel very good about that. Thank you.

 

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September 29, 2025
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Hello from the 'war zone': Portland

There will be no live show today, September 29.

Why?

I'm on the ground in Portland, doing my best to sort through competing narratives about what's happening outside the ICE facility here.

President Donald Trump declared the city a "war zone," mobilized the National Guard, and authorized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use "full force" to finally bring months of unrest outside the facility to an end.

Democratic leadership, including Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, have called the city "safe and calm," suggesting there is no need for federal intervention.

As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle. But after just one night on the ground, it is clear that Portland has failed to address the unrest in any meaningful way for more than 100 days. The federal government has a right to protect federal assets and agents, especially considering the abdication of responsibility from local leaders, but what level of intervention is appropriate?

We will be back on air tomorrow, September 30, at our regular time with a special report. In the meantime, the best way to follow breaking updates is on any one of my social media platforms:

X: @BrandiKruse

FB: @BrandiKruseNews

 

 

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