“Mr. Attorney General, if you see this, Nick Brown, I have in my possession the digital code to print a 3D gun, and I want you to come get it from me.”
So said conservative political podcaster and former Seattle news broadcaster Brandi Kruse as she headlined the Lewis County Republican Party’s annual banquet on Saturday evening at The Loft in Chehalis.
Kruse delivered a roughly 45-minute keynote speech. On stage, Kruse criticized a list of bills passed by majority Democrats during the state's 2026 legislative session, recounted a visit with President Donald Trump and laid into Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown.
The Lewis County Republican Party sold out the four-hour, 190-plate Lincoln Day Dinner this year.
The event also featured two other special guests, musician and Pierce County contractor Phillip Broussard and constitutional sheriff advocate Bill Mitchell.
The meeting of the local Republicans drew in a long list of local and state politicians, including Lewis County Commissioners Scott Brummer and Sean Swope, 20th District lawmakers, state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and state Reps. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis.
Kruse gave a brief endorsement of Braun in his campaign for Washington state’s Third Congressional District against incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamanaia.
The event also attracted some local political hopefuls, including three candidates for Lewis County sheriff — Kenneth Cheeseman, Matt McKnight and Tracy Murphy — and candidates for Lewis County auditor, Frank Corbin and Mitchell Merrill, among others.
In the middle of it all, party members also presented the local party’s annual achievement awards to local members. Jennifer West and Fred Rider each received the Cy Meyers Longevity Award for service of the local Republicans and their policies. Cheryl Baker received the local party's Rail Splitter Award.
Kruse was the last to speak during the dinner that opened its doors at 5 p.m. Saturday evening and got off to a late start, not concluding until after 9 p.m. Kruse’s address to Brown was the most eye-catching portion of her keynote speech. The former broadcaster made a point of looking straight into a nearby camera and telling its operator to make sure he was recording before she challenged the attorney general to confiscate her schematics for a 3D printed gun.
“I would love to see the state of Washington knock down my door to get it,” Kruse said.
The challenge stemmed from her critiques of Brown and multiple bills passed this year that she claimed give the attorney general expanded power. Her mention of 3D printed gun schematics specifically refers to House Bill 2320, which bans non-federally recognized firearm manufacturers from fabricating weapons or restricted weapon parts such as bump stocks using a 3D printer or computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine.
The bill also prohibits the distribution or sale of the code necessary to fabricate these parts to non-recognized firearm manufacturers. Violations of the law were declared a class C felony, and the bill went into effect immediately after signature by Gov. Bob Ferguson last month.
Kruse admitted to not being a gun owner or even a fan of guns, but stated she was nonetheless a Second Amendment supporter and warned that the bill infringes on the right to bear arms in the state.
Kruse also addressed Senate Bill 5925, which expands the attorney general office’s authority to obtain documents, oral testimony and other information through what is legally known as civil investigative demands (CID). These demands are comparable to a court subpoena, but instead are ordered before a lawsuit is filed to determine if a party has violated federal or state constitutions, the Keep Washington Working Act, wage laws, the Washington Law Against Discrimination or the City and County Jails Act.
Kruse criticized the bill as being overly vague and allowing the attorney general’s office too broad of power to interrogate or investigate anyone suspected of violating the state or federal constitution. Kruse used the moment to take a jab at the controversial and recently passed “millionaire’s tax,” saying the attorney general should investigate the Democrat lawmakers that supported it.
“My response to that is, Mr. Attorney General, every single Democrat who voted for the income tax violated the state constitution,” Kruse said.
The podcaster also addressed bills that have weakened the state's voter initiative process and one that allows for the removal of decertified sheriffs, which she referred to as the “Keith Swank Bill” after vocal opponent and Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank. She touched on what has become her flagship issues: transgender students participating in sports according to their chosen gender and the parents bill of rights.
She described ballot initiatives concerning transgender youth and parents rights as the most important issues on the ballot in the fall, though she noted at the same time that the ballot initiative will “impact the fewest amount of people directly.”
“The reason I say it's number one is we are talking about fundamental truths,” Kruse said. “We are talking about fact and fiction.”
Kruse touched on her visit to the White House in October during which she was asked to brief the president on the threat of antifa in Washington state.
Kruse also took a moment to criticize other conservative political commentators that have recently criticized President Donald Trump, describing the issue as "cannibalism.” She specifically called out former Trump loyalists such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who recently posted a podcast criticizing the president's recent decisions and statements on Iran. Kruse painted herself, by comparison, as a former Trump critic turned loyalist who had come to see the light.
She concluded her time saying she was not ready to give up and describing herself as a “useful tool for positive change to the state.” The audience received her final remarks with applause and a standing ovation as she left the stage before a brief conclusion of the event.
