Oregon lawmakers expel Republican Rep. Mike Nearman over Capitol breach

Lawmakers in Oregon on Thursday night expelled a Republican legislator who let violent, far-right protesters into the Statehouse.

Rep. Mike Nearman was the first member of the House to be expelled in its 160-year history. The House voted 59-1 to remove him from the Legislature for disorderly behavior.

The House voted 59-1 to remove Oregon State Rep. Mike Nearman from the Legislature for disorderly behavior.

Nearman, 57, was seen on security video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray.

“It’s impossible to overstate the seriousness of the reason we are here today,” Rep. Paul Holvey said.

“Rep. Nearman enabled armed, violent protesters to enter the Capitol, breaching the security of the Capitol, which was officially closed to the public, and also endangered the authorized staff and legislators inside the building.”

At: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-nearman-expelled-oregon-legislature_n_60c30e6ae4b059c73bd7d559

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