(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. -Some Political Action Committees that recently donated money to the campaign of Spokane Valley Representative Matt Shea say they want their money back following news of a leaked manifesto authored by Shea.
The four-page document, titled "Biblical Basis for War" was originally reported by the Spokesman-Review. It's a radical Christian call to arms, outlining 14 steps for seizing power and what to do afterward in explicit detail.
Now, The Northwest Credit Union Association, a trade organization representing credit unions in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, says they want a contribution made to Shea's campaign during the last election cycle back.
A representative from the NWCUA says the PAC makes bipartisan contributions to the campaigns of candidates supportive of credit union initiatives. The PAC gave Shea's campaign $1,000.
"[W]e have reviewed the recent media reports and Rep. Shea’s social media activity depicting his personal views. His beliefs do not reflect the views and values of the NWCUA, our member credit unions, or the consumers who are credit union members. We are asking that Rep. Shea return the contribution made by our PAC in the last election cycle."
In a separate statement Thursday, Washington REALTORS are also asking for the return of a $2,000 contribution.
Cara McNeil, Communications and Publications Manager for Washington REALTORS, issued the following statement:
The recent disturbing stories regarding Rep. Matt Shea’s writings have greatly concerned Washington REALTORS®. Washington REALTORS® values inclusion and civility—the opposite of what Rep. Matt Shea has espoused. Accordingly, Washington REALTORS® is requesting that Rep. Shea return the $2,000 contribution from the REALTOR® Political Action Committee and that he remove Washington REALTORS® name from any campaign material. We believe that Washington State needs strong inclusive leadership on both sides of the aisle. Those values—our values—are not reflected in Rep. Shea’s recent writings.
Avista Utilities says they will "re-evaluate" their contributions to Rep. Matt Shea.
A full statement from Collins Sprague, senior director of government relations, is below:
Avista has traditionally contributed to lawmakers of both parties, and especially those who represent the communities where our customers and employees live and work and those who serve on committees that oversee policies that directly impact our industry and the economic well-being of the communities we serve. We take our civic responsibility seriously and want our contributions to be a positive force for good. We also expect that recipients of our contributions honor values like ours. With the information that has recently come to light, we will re-evaluate our contributions to Rep. Matt Shea moving forward.
AT&T will also be asking for a return of a $1,000 donation. Leland Kim, Media Relations Director, issued the following statement:
We have reviewed the news reports and the document, and have concluded that Rep. Shea’s statements are divisive and do not reflect our core values of inclusion and equality. We will not be making any future contributions to Rep. Shea’s campaign and will ask that he return the $1,000 we contributed to his campaign earlier this year.
KHQ continues reaching out to Rep. He has not returned our calls, but his legislative aid did say our message was being passed along to Rep. Shea. He did however post a video on Facebook earlier this month. In it, Shea admits to distributing the document, but calls it a summary of a series of sermons in the Old Testament, or "just war theory" philosophy. This is a developing story. As we learn more, we will update this story.