Before lawmaker opened door for armed protesters at Oregon Capitol, he coached constituents about it [View all]

Just days before Rep. Mike Nearman helped armed protesters enter the closed Oregon Capitol building in December, endangering fellow lawmakers and Capitol employees, prosecutors say, he coached constituents on the exact steps to take to get his help breaking in.

A video shows Nearman, a Republican from outside Independence, walking constituents through the step-by-step process of where to stand, how to text him and what help he would provide that would allow them to break the rules and get into the Capitol during a Dec. 21 special legislative session.

He does so with a wink and a nod, interspersing the instructions with disclaimers that he’s not giving out a real cell phone number (he is and it’s his number), that he knows nothing about the planned “Operation Hall Pass” and that nothing like that will actually happen.

In fact, exactly what he described did occur, prosecutors and investigators say. Protesters gathered outside the Capitol’s west entrance in obvious protest of the closure; Nearman left the House chambers where lawmakers were gathered doing state business; and he walked out a Capitol entrance, leaving the open door hanging long enough for angry citizens to grab it and enter.

Read more: https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2021/06/before-lawmaker-opened-door-for-armed-protesters-at-oregon-capitol-he-coached-constituents-about-it-video.html