While voters were still deciding the 2024 race, Washington’s Attorney General’s Office was already coordinating with nearly two dozen other Democratic AGs to prepare lawsuits against Donald Trump.
Washington AG Joined Secret Democratic Pact to Sue Trump Months Before the Election
Nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general began plotting litigation against Donald Trump as early as April 2024 — months before Joe Biden dropped out, before Kamala Harris became the nominee, and long before Trump won the election.
According to a confidential “Common Interest Agreement” obtained by The Center Square, the coordinated effort was referred to as the “Project for Federal Accountability.” Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown’s office was part of the group that has since joined roughly 70 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Former Washington AG (now Governor) Bob Ferguson publicly admitted his office had been preparing potential litigation “for months” before Election Day, going “line-by-line through Project 2025.”
At least 22 Democratic attorneys general signed the agreement. Zero Republicans did. The document also outlined plans to keep related strategy materials confidential. Signatures began while Trump was still the presumptive nominee and continued after he won.
California AG Rob Bonta has joined 82 cases and acknowledges the effort has already cost California taxpayers $19 million. Washington’s heavy participation puts the state near the top of the list of most aggressive litigators.
Former Utah AG Mark Shurtleff called the pre-election timing highly unusual. Attorneys general typically sue after an administration takes action, not in anticipation of a candidate who has not yet been elected. Legal observers have also questioned whether a vague “Federal Accountability” common interest justifies keeping strategy documents from the public.
This is progressive lawfare: state attorney general offices treated as political war rooms, litigation planned against a potential president before voters decided, then defended as “apolitical” once the lawsuits started flying. The timeline and Washington’s deep involvement make the partisan nature of the effort impossible to ignore. Read more at Center Square.
Did Adam Smith Move Left for Nothing?
Seattle Red’s Jason Rantz recently explained how Rep. Adam Smith made a strategic mistake by shifting left in an effort to blunt a primary challenge from former socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Instead of dismissing Sawant’s campaign, Smith embraced positions designed to appeal to the Democratic Party’s activist wing, even though Sawant ultimately finished third with just 12.6% of the vote.
Rantz points out Smith’s vote against additional military aid to Israel—a move that led AIPAC to remove Smith from its list of supported candidates—as evidence that the longtime congressman repositioned himself to appeal to progressive critics. He also notes the irony that Smith had previously warned CNN that Democratic Socialists were pushing the party toward radical positions before trying to win over those same voters.
Despite Sawant’s challenge, Smith still won the primary outright with more than 50% of the vote, meaning the leftward shift accomplished little politically. With Republican Doug Basler advancing to November after finishing second, Smith now faces a choice: return to the more moderate image that defined much of his career or continue courting a progressive base that, judging by the primary results, may never be satisfied. Read more at Seattle Red.
Olympia Thinks Your Farm Truck Is a Luxury
As the Washington Policy Center points out, Washington’s new vehicle luxury tax is another example of Olympia writing laws for Seattle instead of rural Washington.
Under the new law, vehicles priced at $100,000 or more are hit with an additional 8% luxury tax, on top of existing sales taxes. While lawmakers exempted heavy-duty work trucks over 10,000 pounds and certain farm vehicles, they overlooked the reality that many farmers now rely on half-ton pickups as their everyday work trucks.
Modern half-ton pickups have become the standard because they’re more fuel-efficient, easier to maneuver through fields, and versatile enough to handle daily farm work. But with today’s soaring vehicle prices, many well-equipped trucks can cross the $100,000 threshold without being anything close to a luxury purchase.
It’s another reminder that when Democrats dream up new taxes, they often end up hitting the very people who grow Washington’s food. To Olympia, a farm truck looks like a luxury. To the people who depend on it every day, it’s simply another tool of the trade. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.
Spokane Area Fires Update
As of today, the Spokane Area Fires — Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview — have burned more than 10,400 acres and damaged or destroyed roughly 900–920 structures, the vast majority of them homes.
Containment remains limited: Autumn Lane is at 37%, Old Trails at 23%, and Fairview at 31%. Nearly 2,000 fire personnel from dozens of agencies are on the ground, focusing on mop-up and strengthening lines ahead of expected stronger winds. Some evacuation orders have been downgraded, but large areas remain under Level 3 “Go Now” orders. No fatalities have been reported.
The most destructive blaze, Old Trails, is under investigation as human-caused. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man on first-degree arson charges; court documents indicate he allegedly admitted starting that fire and others in the area.
Governor Bob Ferguson has sought federal emergency assistance as the state deals with a heavy fire season. Cooler weather earlier in the week helped crews make some progress, but hotter, drier, and windier conditions are returning — a familiar pattern in a state where active forest management, thinning, and fuel reduction have long taken a back seat to progressive environmental priorities.
Spokane residents are left assessing the damage from one of the region’s worst recent disasters while the same political leadership that has dominated Olympia for decades continues to emphasize climate messaging over the practical work of keeping forests and communities safer from fire.