Rifts Within Oregon GOP Increase as House Republicans Repudiate State Party’s “False Flag” Claim

Even Rep. Mike Nearman, who stands accused of letting right-wing protesters into the Oregon Capitol, thinks the GOP is wrong.

A right-wing protester outside the Oregon Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020. (Justin Yau)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The legacy of former President Donald Trump continues to divide the party he led (or still leads).

Today, Oregon House Republicans took the highly unusual step of repudiating a recent resolution by the Oregon GOP that called the Jan. 6 assault on Congress a "false flag" operation. (The phrase is shorthand for a conspiracy theory that claims those who stormed the U.S. Capitol were not in fact Trump supporters but enemies of his in disguise.)

Here's what the party's resolution said:

"There is growing evidence that the violence at the Capitol was a 'false flag' operation designed to discredit President Trump, his supporters, and all conservative Republicans; this provided the sham motivation to impeach President Trump in order to advance the Democrat goal of seizing total power, in a frightening parallel to the February 1933 burning of the German Reichstag."

House Republicans want no part of that:

"Elected House Republicans are focused on representing our constituents. Oregon is in crisis. Vaccines are not going to our most vulnerable, our students are still not in a safe classroom setting, main street businesses are in a tailspin, our health data is a mess and here we are, talking about a political party resolution. There is no credible evidence to support false flag claims," the House Republicans said in a statement today.

They continued:

"We must return our focus to helping Oregonians, pushing to get checks out to the unemployed, supporting our kids, and calling for a vaccine policy that serves our most vulnerable—not the politically powerful. Our focus must remain on urgently helping hurting Oregonians. Far too many Oregonians have been impacted by lost wages or a lost family member—we are in a crisis and that crisis requires steady leadership and action, not partisan rhetoric. The election is over. It is time to govern."

How bad is it for the state GOP? Among those who put his name on the statement is state Rep. Mike Nearman (R-Independence), an ardent Trump supporter who stands accused of opening a door at the Oregon Capitol to allow right-wing protesters into the building Dec. 21.

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