State senator files cease-and-desist on fellow republicans

Apr. 25—An attorney representing State Senator David Brock Smith filed a cease-and-desist order to Ben Edtl and Rob Taylor, claiming they created and disseminated false information regarding the sitting State Senator's voting record in an attempt to defame him ahead of electoral season.

Edtl, who is running for Oregon's 37th House District, was recently appointed president of the Republican Unity Caucus (RUCPAC). This right-wing organization has the self-stated objective of removing as many progressive members of the state legislation as possible, both Republican and Democrat. Their message has been championed and spread by Taylor, a conservative talk radio host, who has used his platform to share the statements in question.

"Our mission is to defeat the Progressive threat to liberty and the American way of life. We are united by our desire to end the tyranny of equity, diminish the Progressive influence and expose corrupt politicians destroying the lives of Oregonians... We are of the informed belief that we will not achieve balance in Oregon's politics so long as our own leaders support the communist progressive agenda in Salem," states RUCPAC's website.

RUCPAC has placed its sights on Sen. Smith, targeting his voting record with blog posts on their site with thumbnails that declare 'I sponsored Chinese Windmills in Coos Bay' and 'David Brock Smith: Made in China', including images of Sen. Smith superimposed onto the Chinese flag. This is in response to then-Representative Smith's chief sponsorship of House Bill 3375, which began the planning for a three-gigawatt offshore wind energy project.

The bill in question passed unanimously through the House, and Sen. Smith claims that its effect was in fact to slow down offshore development. The bill requires the Department of Energy to make public any attempts to designate offshore development areas, and for state bodies to refer to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for any proposals.

The RUC's posts also referenced Chinese billionaire Tianqiao Chen, who owns a huge portfolio of Oregon property, claiming that Smith's vote on SB 762 helped him to buy up further rural land. The cease-and-desist states that is patently untrue, as Chen made the purchase in 2015, before Smith was voted into office.

Fellow-republican State Representative Virgle Osborne supported Sen. Smith on this issue.

"I have not seen a single piece of evidence to back up the agitators' claims... These shameful attacks are dishonest and reflect poorly on the Republican Party," states Rep. Osborne.

In a press release announcing the cease-and-desist, Sen. Smith called the claims against him 'blatantly false' and 'deceitful', while equating himself to the embattled former-president Trump.

"We must stand up against these Democrat tactics of blatant misinformation, and this is the first step," said Sen. Smith in the press release.

This statement is incongruous with the situation at hand. As previously stated, RUCPAC is itself a hyper-conservative organization aimed at taking seats away from democrat candidates and progressive republicans. This is not a democrat-backed hit piece, it is a clear instance of conservative in-fighting.

Edtl and Taylor have since doubled-down on their statements against Sen. Smith. This ongoing dispute could have major ramifications come fall. With Sen. Smith up against three other republicans in the race for the District 1 seat, it is clear why RUCPAC would attack him for not being 'right-wing enough' for their liking.