GOP leaders call for restraint after national incident and criticize mask bill as a distraction

Republican leaders at a press availability on the sixteenth day of the session said political leaders should avoid inflaming public sentiment after a national policing incident and urged careful, impartial investigations.

Reporter Jerry Kornfield asked whether the Republican caucuses agreed with a statement by Rep. Jim Walsh that Governor Jay Inslee and the attorney general were escalating tensions. Deputy Republican Leader Chris Corey said the caucus had not taken a formal position but condemned political rhetoric that "upping the rhetoric" and said the focus should be on letting law enforcement conduct full investigations. "We need transparency. We need an investigation," Corey said.

Senate Minority Leader John Braun echoed the call for calm and said inflammatory public statements are "unserious and frankly incendiary." Both leaders argued the Legislature should not attempt to substitute state action where federal jurisdiction controls and expressed skepticism about bills they said try to regulate federal law enforcement.

When asked about a Senate face-covering bill and a looming vote, Corey cautioned that the state must respect jurisdictional limitations and said the masking issue is complex, citing concerns about doxxing and harassment of federal agents. Braun called the bill a "distraction," questioned its enforceability and criticized what he described as political theater that diverts attention from substantive policy problems.

The caucus also discussed a Senate proposal to expand state health-department authority to inspect the Northwest Detention Center if inspections are blocked; both leaders said state efforts face limits if they conflict with federal law.

What’s next: Republican leaders urged investigations and restraint from public officials and said they will monitor related committee action, but no policy action resulted from the press availability.