What Happened After the Town Hall Should Alarm Every Honest Republican

Guest Editorial by Christa Hazel

The February 22 town hall hosted by the Kootenai County GOP made headlines when a woman was dragged out and charged with trespass and battery — charges later dropped “in the interest of justice.” But what came after tells a bigger story about cover-ups, media spin, and a political machine willing to sidestep the truth. And if you believe in constitutional government — not just slogans about it — this should have you fired up.

According to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department’s report, KCRCC Chair Brent Regan told investigators the town hall footage was either corrupted, incomplete, or didn’t exist. He claimed the wide-angle camera had been unplugged and that there was no official videographer.

But after multiple ignored calls and unfulfilled promises, police were forced to obtain a search warrant.

What they found blew Regan’s story apart: 14 raw video files, a working wide-angle recording, and two edited clips labeled “KCRCC Democrat.”

Even more concerning? The silence. Legislative Chair Jamie Hass refused to talk, citing legal counsel. Event coordinator Nina Beesley initially agreed to speak with investigators, then stopped responding. Police never got the interview.

If you only read one part of the police report, skip straight to the section about the videographer, Jeremy Lokken. It’s worth it. He lives in the basement of his parents’ house — and yes, officers ended up speaking with both him and his parents when he stopped returning calls. After agreeing to turn over the town hall footage, he vanished. Police called four times. Nothing. When they finally showed up with a search warrant, he asked them to turn off their body cameras. According to the report, videographer Lokken eventually handed over 14 video files — including the “corrupted” one that worked just fine — plus two edited clips titled “KCRCC Democrat.” Read the report. It speaks volumes.

Three days after the warrant was served and files were recovered, the KCRCC posted to social media: “FULL TOWNHALL FOOTAGE NOW AVAILABLE.” The video was highly edited, contradicting their earlier claim that the footage was missing or corrupted.

While police were still working to recover the footage, The Kootenai Journal moved quickly to shape the narrative. Editor Charity Joy Clayton was seen filming near Sheriff Bob Norris as the situation escalated. Then, nearly at the same time police were preparing a warrant, Clayton called the lead detective — not to ask questions, but to challenge the legality of retrieving the video. According to the report, her phrasing mirrored the language used earlier by the videographer. Investigators noted the timing wasn’t just curious — it looked coordinated.

It’s also worth noting that The Kootenai Journal isn’t just politically aligned — it’s financially supported. Sheriff Bob Norris, who was at the center of the town hall response, spent over $1,700 of his campaign funds advertising with the Journal in 2024 alone.

The People’s Pen publication went even further, slapping a cartoon version of the woman on its front cover, offering conspiracy-based opinions before the investigation was even complete. The kicker? The KCRCC has spent over $200,000 in political expenditures supporting the People’s Pen.

The Backlash YouTube livestream — hosted by Dave Reilly, a local figure known for antisemitic rhetoric, alongside white nationalist influencers Vincent James Foxx and Rebecca Hargreaves — became a megaphone for spin. Within days of the town hall, the hosts mocked the woman who was removed, claimed the disruption was staged, and aggressively promoted the KCRCC. They urged viewers to donate and encouraged harassment of individuals they politically disagreed with — all while holding up KCRCC as their national model for political warfare.

One co-host said, “There has to be a social cost for going against us.” Another joked about buying legislators for $100,000. They discussed “destroying” women and targeting businesses. They voiced opposition to Israel and encouraged spreading “subversive pro-white propaganda” in the community.

This wasn’t commentary — it was a public campaign to punish and intimidate, aired before police had even finished reviewing the facts.

The KCRCC’s false narrative reached thousands before the facts had a chance to catch up. This wasn’t just a bad look — it was a strategy to delay the truth, distract the public, and control the story before the evidence could speak for itself.

While law enforcement worked to uncover facts, KCRCC leaders denied, delayed, and distracted — using a coordinated media campaign to spin the story their way. Want to see for yourself? Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/KCRCCpolicereport.

If you’re a Republican in Kootenai County, it’s fair to ask: who’s really representing your values? This moment calls for straight answers — not silence, not spin. Start by finding out who your precinct committeeman is: https://www.kootenaigop.org/precinct-committeemen.

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About the Author

Christa Hazel is a former elected KCRCC precinct committeewoman.

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