Democrats in the state House of Representatives are demanding that conservative Republican Rep. Matt Shea be publicly reprimanded for extremist activities.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Democrats in the state House of Representatives are demanding that conservative Republican Rep. Matt Shea be publicly reprimanded for extremist activities.

The Democrats sent a letter Friday to House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox of Yelm, also demanding that Shea, of Spokane Valley, be removed as the top Republican on the House Committee on Environment and Energy.

The Democrats contend that Shea's direct involvement in extremist activities erodes the state's ideals of fairness and equality.

The Guardian newspaper previously reported it had obtained the contents of internet chats from 2017 involving Shea and three other men proposing to confront leftists with a variety of tactics, including violence, surveillance and intimidation