By Dave Workman
UPDATED – 9:10 a.m. 2/10 — What could become a major battle over First Amendment rights and press freedom is erupting in Washington State, where three independent journalists have been denied press credentials by the Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives, apparently for taking positions on certain issues the Democrats don’t like.
Now a lawsuit has been filed on their behalf, pitting the Legislature and establishment press against the veteran journalists and both the state and federal constitutions.
Chief among the embattled scribes is Brandi Kruse, an award-winning veteran broadcast journalist who left Seattle’s KCPQ five years ago to pursue her independent podcast, which daily reaches tens of thousands of subscribers and casual listeners. Kruse became famous while at KCPQ for her features under the headline “The Divide,”’ in which she brought together opposing viewpoints on a variety of subjects.
Her podcast is now called unDivided, and according to the YouTube program’s website, she has 160,000 subscribers, but her reach via social media multiplies that several times. She said the show reaches “about 42 million impressions a month.”
So, why is the state House, led by Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) not allowing Kruse to have a press credential, even a daily pass, while at the same time she is still allowed to attend press conferences with Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson, and cover the state Senate?
According to a letter from House Chief Clerk Bernard Dean, what grounded Kruse’s request for a press pass was her “recent engagement in public policy development and advocacy.” Kruse has been outspoken about protecting female athletes from competing against, and sharing locker rooms with, biological males. She spoke during a rally on the Capitol steps a few weeks ago, surrounded by female athletes and advocates.
The letter quotes guidelines established by the Capitol Correspondents’ Association—a group which in recent years has dwindled from some two dozen reporters from newspapers, radio stations and television news staffs, to perhaps a half-dozen members who are at the Capitol every day.
Kruse is a veteran broadcast journalist with some 15 years of experience in both radio and television.
Meanwhile, Choe formerly worked at Seattle’s KOMO and is possibly best known for his coverage of the 2020 riots in Seattle following the death of George Floyd while being restrained by Minneapolis, Minnesota police officers. Choe now works as a journalist for the Discovery Institute. He is a regular contributor to various publications including the Lynnwood Times.
Hoffman, who has also been denied press access, is a popular talk host on Seattle’s conservative KVI-AM.
According to a report at the DailyFly, a group called the Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) had been threatening legal action against the House and the Capitol Correspondents Association for denying Hoffman press credentials.
Update: On Tuesday, CADF followed through, filing a lawsuit against the state House of Representatives and the Washington State Capitol Correspondents Association (WSCCA) on behaf of Kruse, Hoffman and Choe. In a statement announcing the legal action, CADF said, “The denial of press passes violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including core protections for freedom of the press and due process.”
The 68-page complaint (including attachments), filed in Thurston County Superior Court, also names House Chief Clerk Bernard Dean, in his official capacity, the Washington Legislature, and the State of Washington. CADF is represented by attorney Jackson Wilder Maynard, Jr. of Olympia.
Telephone Chat
In a telephone interview with Liberty Park Press, Kruse recalled how earlier this month she was planning on covering events in Olympia on two different days. She requested press credentials for both days, “and they promptly denied my pass.”
It used to be the venue of the Capitol Correspondents’ Association to approve or deny such requests, but now this authority has been turned over to the House of Representatives.
Liberty Park Press reached out to Jerry Cornfield, who heads the organization, but he did not immediately respond. Cornfield formerly worked as a political writer at the Everett Herald.
Kruse recalled how the Correspondents’ group had, for decades, controlled who got press credentials. She noted how “they were so opposed to giving independent media press passes” that the group handed control back to the politicians.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand” the implications of such a move, she observed.
This conflict has roots in 2025, when Kruse threatened to sue over her denial of a press pass at that time.
This year, Kruse has been unable to attend a press conference on the Democrat side of the House dealing with the huge proposed income tax on millionaires, which critics say is not only likely to push wealthy people out of the state, but is also unconstitutional under the State Constitution. She contends that her ability to cover this and other controversial issues deprives her audience of information they need which hasn’t been diluted.
“People who are not represented by legacy news,” she said, “they deserve to have their interests represented.”
She also noted how times have significantly changed regarding the press, and how the “legacy” media is resistant to giving way to independent media.
“We’re in a modern era of news,” Kruse said. “The old rules are completely outdated. There are very few legacy reports left in Olympia. It’s time for them to open up to independent media. The more voices in Olympia, the better.”
This would include bloggers, YouTubers, and others, she explained. Naturally, they would have to conduct themselves appropriately as working journalists in order to obtain a press pass. But so far, the establishment media is fighting to keep these new journalists out.
Asked whether this is a turf issue or whether the remaining journalists are providing cover to Democrats, Kruse replied, “I believe it’s a little bit of both.”
Kruse said there is a plan to have an attorney request that her press pass denial be reconsidered. This may be done through the aforementioned Citizen Action Defense Fund.
Congressmen Weigh In
And now two important politicians have come to the defense of Kruse, Choe and Hoffman, U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner, from Washington’s 4th and 5th Congressional districts, respectively. In a letter to state House Speaker Jinkins dated Feb. 9, they express “strong opposition” to the denial of press credentials to all three broadcast and print journalists.
In their letter, the two congressmen write, “Our Founding Fathers designed a system of governance that allows any citizen to publicly question our government. The First Amendment exists to prevent discrimination and punishment of the press for the views, thoughts, or words in their coverage. The job of the press is to agitate, investigate, and scrutinize our leaders and institutions, which distinguishes democracy from dictatorship.”
The DailyFly is also reporting that CADF Executive Director Jackson Maynard likewise sent a letter to Jinkins, Chief Clerk Dean and the Capitol Correspondents Association’s Cornfield, in which he stated, “The right to gather news is not a privilege granted at the discretion of political bodies or private associations. It is a core constitutional right. Denying a journalist access to the people’s House raises profound legal and civil rights concerns.”
Perhaps another paragraph in the Newhouse-Baumgartner letter to Jinkins puts the proverbial “frosting on the cake” in this matter.
“It is truly baffling and troubling that we find ourselves today addressing such clear violations of these bedrock principles,” the congressmen write. “In this era of polarization and one-party control of all branches of government in the State of Washington, it is vital that independent journalists have the ability to ask difficult questions and hold elected officials accountable.”
However, recent history in Washington, from the governor’s office down through the Legislature and perhaps even local governments at the county and municipal levels suggests to critics that those in the ruling party hold themselves above accountability.
There has been no word from Jinkins or her office.
Workman is editor-in-chief at TheGunMag.com.
