17-05-2025
WA governor accuses Trump of ‘constitutional crisis.' GOP leader calls that ‘hysterical'
In a brooding speech made Thursday to fundraisers, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson blasted the Trump administration for its alleged assault on the U.S. Constitution.
'I'm pretty careful about the words I use, okay,' Ferguson told a room full of 200 Tri-City Democrats at a Richland hotel on Thursday night.
'So I don't throw around terms, like 'constitutional crisis,' casually. But — but — we are, in our country right now, in the midst of a constitutional crisis. That is a fact, that is a reality,' he said.
He was in the Tri-Cities all day on business — his first visit to the region since being elected governor. He spoke to the Richland Rotary Club, signed 11 bills into law and met with officials with the plumbers and pipefitters union Local 598 before breaking bread with Democrats.
Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove were also there.
In his speech, Ferguson touched on the state's budget woes, election gains he made in the Tri-Cities over Jay Inslee's 2012 campaign, the impact of rising tariffs, and how he strives to create a government that cuts back on red tape and 'works for people.'
At the same time, he also was critical of legislative Democrats' fiscal spending and called on more 'responsible' budgeting.
The Legislature recently finished its 2025 session, which included patching a $16 billion budget shortfall with new taxes.
Then, Ferguson tried to rally Tri-Citians to contribute to campaigns, organize protests, defend democracy and to fight for the rights of others as Democrats push to retake Congress next year.
'I want you to know that there is no governor in the country more prepared to defend your freedoms against this president than I am,' he told the room.
He called Trump's actions 'anti-democratic,' alleging the MAGA president 'ignores' court orders. Ferguson wasn't specific, but he claimed Trump's antagonistic attitudes toward the judiciary are the 'very definition' of a constitutional crisis.
Ferguson made parallels to a book his son was reading about how democracies die, which he said claims they perish 'not by some big revolution, typically — but by a gradual erosion' of liberties.
In a phone interview with the Tri-City Herald, a leading Washington Republican responded to Ferguson's comments by calling them 'hysterical' and 'not reality based.'
'We're not in a constitutional crisis,' said Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh. 'It's irresponsible stuff. And why? Because Democrats don't have a good challenger to Trump — and Trump's not going to run again.'
'Gov. Ferguson needs to not mind the splinter in Trump's eye and tend to the plank in his own eye,' Walsh continued. He was referring to a case involving a state trooper who died in a crash allegedly caused last year by an undocumented immigrant in Snohomish County.
Political and constitutional experts have been hesitant to claim that the U.S. is experiencing a constitutional crisis.
Some Harvard Law professors in a February panel said while Trump's actions were 'deeply troubling,' they didn't meet the definition of a constitutional crisis.
But a YouGov poll sponsored by Elon University found that 67% of U.S. adult respondents in April were 'very' or 'somewhat' concerned about a 'crisis' arising from disagreements between the executive and judicial branches.
It's clear rhetoric between the two major U.S. political parties continues to flare.
Walsh pointed to a since-deleted social media post by former FBI Director James Comey. He's being investigated by the Secret Service after sharing photo of seashells that spelled out '86 47' — 86, a slang term meaning 'to remove,' and Trump is the 47th president.
Liberals say the phrase is meant to support ousting the sitting president, but conservatives have interpreted it as an incitement of political violence.
'That's not a joking matter,' Walsh said.
