Op-ED: Inslee Gets Softballs From Media, Nobody Pushes Him–So We Did

If you've ever watched any of his press conferences, Gov. Inslee is clearly guarded, and guided by his handlers.

For starters, over the last six years, especially the last two, we've watched virtually every press event he's had. We were there at CBC in 2020 when he was heckled so badly he had to move the event indoors.

But it's obvious that except for Brandi Kruse of Fox Q13 TV in Seattle, nobody ever presses him, or 'goes for the jugular' in his conferences. Nobody ever seems to ask him hardball questions.

For example, when an investigation by the Freedom Foundation (utilizing DOH documents and data) showed they were counting gunshot death as COVID victims because COVID was discovered during autopsies, nobody asked him about it. He did react to the FF report, with a bit of a tantrum, but no questions were pressed to him.

The only times any of the Seattle Times, AP, or TV stations came close was when they asked him about CHOP, and his infamous didn't know-wasn't aware comments.

Nobody pressed him about "Applegate," last September when he brought crates of apple-maggot infested fruit to various burned-out communities in Whitman, Okanogan and other counties. Remember Malden near Colfax?

During the follow-up press conference, he began with a limp-wristed apology for his actions, for violating the Apple Maggot Quarantine laws and setting off a frantic search for the fruit, which could have ruined numerous orchards. But no one in the press corp drilled him about it. Several GOP Senators demanded he be at least fined for breaking the law. Just about everyone has seen the Apple Maggot Quarantine signs along all our freeways.

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Our latest attempt to ask a hardball question came this week. If you cannot attend his press conferences, you can submit questions via one of his press operators. Emily Halvorson is one of the officials to whom the media can submit queries. We sent this one in for the same conference where he announced the 500-plus person outdoor mask mandate:

"What is plan to address numerous confirmed reports that WSP and many county EMS Fire units in E. WA including Columbia and Walla Walla could lose as much as 20-30% of workers over refusal of  vaccine mandate? Will you fire those who don't get shot? A direct question.  Will you fire?  Our audience wants yes or no answer. Thank you."

We sent with delivery notification and 'read' requests. What happened? As of Friday, nothing. In the past, we've sent in two other questions, those were late 2020 and early 2021 concerning COVID policies and business relief. Same result. We have not even received notifications that our questions were read.

From all the empirical (visual, audio and other) evidence, it's clear he is increasingly being "handled" just like Biden. Except now, it's gotten worse. Much worse.