Legislators demand Republican resign after he was busted in conspiracy to spy on progressives: report

Controversial Washington state Rep. Matt Shea is facing increasing calls for him to resign after he was caught scheming to spy on political supporters.

"Washington representative Matt Shea (R) is facing renewed calls for his resignation from Republican and Democratic lawmakers amid allegations that Shea discussed spying on progressives in the state. Private investigators hired by the Democrat-dominated Legislature are looking to see whether Shea and three others discussed spying on liberals in Spokane, a progressive city in conservative eastern Washington," The Daily Beast reported Saturday. "Shea reportedly named potential targets for surveillance, including a college professor and an organizer for the liberal group Indivisible."

A coalition of religious leaders has already demanded Shea resign.

Shea had reportedly sought to track his political adversaries using GPS devices.

In August, emails leaked showing Shea collaborating with an extremist gun group that was preparing for "biblical warfare." That came only nine months after his "Biblical Basis for War" manifesto was released.

Shea is also one of the separatist leaders behind a plan to create a new "Liberty State" as something akin to a wildlife sanctuary for Christian conservatives.