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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EXCLUSIVE: When being a social media troll comes back to bite you – hard
If you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.
 

 

 

This story has it all. Politics. Conservative infighting. Social media trolls. Lawsuits. A fugitive from justice. Charges of sodomy. And a side of karma, served cold.

Let’s start with the basics.

On March 26, a 24-year-old named Tyler James Crowl was arrested at his dad’s house in Lakewood, Washington, for a warrant out of Oregon. The arrest didn’t make the news in Washington, which isn’t a surprise considering the alleged crimes weren’t perpetrated in our state.

Crowl was wanted out of Yamhill County, Oregon, on three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and three counts of Sodomy in the First Degree. Both crimes are felonies. According to court records from September 2024, prosecutors allege Crowl “unlawfully and knowingly engaged in oral sexual intercourse with a child under 12 years of age” on multiple occasions and “did unlawfully and knowingly subject a child under 14 years of age to sexual contact by touching her vaginal area and/or upper/inner thighs” on multiple occasions.

While Tyler Crowl would have been a teenager himself at the time of the alleged crimes, Oregon state law says minors under 12 years old cannot consent to oral sex. And minors under the age of 14 cannot consent to sexual intercourse.

The details of Tyler Crowl’s alleged crimes are disturbing. But the way he came to be arrested in Lakewood is the stuff movie scripts are made of.

For those who frequent the bowels of political social media in Washington state, the last name Crowl might look familiar. Eric Crowl, known by the X handle @OutragePNW, is a well-known social media troll in conservative circles. His schtick is attacking Republicans who he deems not conservative enough. In full disclosure, I’ve been a favorite target of his for my reporting on former gubernational candidate Semi Bird. Bird, a Republican, was accused of stolen valor, on top of other documented criminal cases from his past. I found the accusations credible and important enough to discuss on my show.

OutragePNW didn’t like that one bit.

His online posts became so unhinged, not to mention defamatory, I informed my local police department that I was worried for my safety. We had officers at our home a couple times to check in.

1.png?token-time=1744848000&token-hash=08A8qzwyNh1P_xGdASRiY-hEB_Fkn0epz6V44aQtwaU%3DWhile I’ve had my share of social media trolls rile their followers up into a rabid mob, Eric Crowl presented a different kind of security concern – one worth taking seriously.

In 2016, Eric Crowl, then 39-years-old, was arrested in Portland with a cache of weapons including a rifle, shotgun, camouflage, police scanner, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Police there had been investigating Crowl for months, after they “noticed him videotaping police outside the bureau's east precinct, often showing up during shift changes and leaving after hearing his name over the police scanner he carried,” according to Portland station KGW.

Crowl was arrested and charged with attempted assault of an officer and unlawful use of a weapon. 

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While out on house arrest, he was accused of violating the conditions of his release by allegedly showing up – with his wife and son in tow – to the home of a federal inspector.

“Crowl and his family were described as ‘aggressively’ staring into the inspector’s open garage and duty vehicle,” according to Portland station KOIN. The federal employee said Crowl was wearing shorts and did not have his court-mandated GPS monitor on.

“The inspector believed the Crowl’s were acting suspiciously and/or conducting surveillance on his home,” according to court documents.

Crowl was rearrested and had his bail set at $1 million. In November 2016, he agreed to a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of unlawful possession of a firearm in exchange for three years of probation, KOIN reported.

So, what’s the link between Eric Crowl (@OutragePNW) and alleged sodomizer turned fugitive Tyler James Crowl?

Tyler is Eric’s son.

Usually, the misdeeds of family members of social media figures wouldn’t be something I’d jump to report on (regardless of how I felt about that particular person).

But in this case, it was Crowl’s obsession with trolling his perceived political enemies that led to his son’s capture. And that’s a tale too interesting not to tell.

On March 4, Eric Crowl registered a nonprofit with the state of Washington named the Pierce County Republican Party. He immediately started a Facebook page using the name and even held live virtual events on X titled “Pierce County Republican Pary – Media Availability.”

If that sounds weird to you, it is.

There is, of course, already a Pierce County Republican Party. It’s the Pierce County branch of the State GOP and has been active in local politics since at least the 1960’s.

So why would Eric Crowl want to troll his local GOP?

The Pierce County Republican Party and its chairman, Dave McMullan, have been favorite targets of Crowl’s social media attacks. McMullan was an early and unapologetic supporter of Republican Gubernatorial candidate Dave Reichert, earning him the ire of the party’s right flank – and of diehard Semi Bird supporters like Crowl. Furthermore, the county party voted unanimously to ban Crowl from its biennial organizational meeting back in November – in part because of his conduct online.

What better way to make sure you're included than to register an imposter Pierce County Republican Party and put yourself in charge of it?

In response to Crowl’s filing, the legitimate Pierce County Republican Party made a filing of its own – in United States District Court.

On March 23, the PCRP filed a lawsuit against Crowl and his new nonprofit, accusing him of violating the Federal Trademark Act.

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The only thing left was to serve Eric Crowl with the papers at his home in Lakewood.

That job fell to Robert Parker, a local Republican who offered to help.

In advance of doing so, Parker told unDivided he thought it would be wise to see who else was living at the home. He knew of Crowl’s criminal history in Oregon and wanted to be prepared for what he might encounter.

A search of public records from the address showed a Tyler James Crowl was registered to vote there. Parker went into amateur detective mode. He put Tyler Crowl’s name into Google. Up popped a January 6, 2025, blog post from a small news outlet in Oregon. It was a list of outstanding warrants.

“Area law enforcement agencies are looking for the following people who have absconded from the law.”

On the list was “Tyler James Crowl, 23, wanted on warrants for first-degree sodomy and sexual abuse.”

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Unsure whether Tyler would be at his dad’s house, but armed with the information anyway, Parker went to serve the papers.

Sure enough, Tyler Crowl was the one to come to the door. Parker caught the whole thing on camera.

“Mr. Crowl?”

“That should be my father, but yeah, what’s this regarding?”

“That’s for him,” Parker said, handing over the notice of service in a manilla envelope.

“Ok … what’s it regarding if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s legal paperwork for him.”

A woman can be heard in the background saying “Tyler, don’t accept that.”

Parker leaves the documents with Tyler and walks away – only to promptly contact the Lakewood Police Department to inform them of the whereabouts of a fugitive from justice.

Within hours, Tyler Crowl was in custody and being held at the Pierce County Jail, where he is still awaiting extradition to Yamhill County, Oregon.

It is unclear whether the elder Crowl knew his son was a fugitive from justice. unDivided has reached out to prosecutors in Oregon to inquire whether they are investigating whether Eric Crowl knowingly concealed his son’s whereabouts.

A text message and email to Eric Crowl seeking comment went unanswered Tuesday. Crowl protected his X account (@OutragePNW) shortly after unDivided reached out for comment about his son’s arrest, limiting his posts to approved followers.

So, what lessons can be taken from this sordid tale?

For starters, don’t engage in sex acts with a pre-teen. That’s good advice for anyone.

Second, don’t be a social media troll. Also good advice for anyone. But if you simply can’t help but poke the hornet’s nest, at least make sure your own hive is in order first.

 

 

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