Michael J. Nearman (born 1963 or 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

from the 23rd district from 2015 until 2021, when he was expelled from the house for his role in allowing people to trespass at the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...

in December 2020.

Early life and career

Born and raised in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, Nearman graduated from Jesuit High School in Beaverton. Nearman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

before returning to Oregon to work for his family's furniture business. Years later, Nearman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of E ...

. Prior to entering politics, Nearman worked as a dishwasher, gravedigger, taxicab driver, and technical support representative. From 2010 to 2015, Nearman worked as a software engineer for

UTC Climate, Controls & Security UTC Climate, Controls & Security was a global provider of building technologies offering fire safety, security, building automation, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems and services. A wholly owned subsidiary of Unite ...

Oregon House of Representatives

Nearman was elected to the

in 2014 after defeating incumbent Representative Jim Thompson in the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

primary election. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' reported that Nearman was buoyed by

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

opposition to Thompson's more progressive stances on social issues such as

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

and

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

. Nearman is one of two petitioners filing ballot measure IP 5, which would require all Oregonians to re-register in order to vote, and to show a state official a birth certificate, passport, or other documentation in order to register. On December 11, 2020, Nearman and 11 other state Republican officials signed a letter requesting Oregon Attorney General

Ellen Rosenblum Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Oregon Attorney General since 2012. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously was a judge on the Oregon ...

join Texas and other states contesting the results of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

in ''

Texas v. Pennsylvania ''Texas v. Pennsylvania'', 592 U.S. ___ (2020), was a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the administration of the 2020 presidential election in certain states, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. Fil ...

''. Rosenblum announced she had filed on behalf of the defense, and against ''Texas'', the day prior.

2020 Oregon Capitol breach

During a special session on December 21, 2020, Nearman let armed protesters into the

to protest against health restrictions related to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Oregon on February 28, 2020. On that day, Governor Kate Brown created a coronavirus response team; on March 8 she declared a state of emergency; and on March 23 she issued a s ...

. Joey Gibson, political activist and founder of

Patriot Prayer Patriot Prayer is a far-right group founded by Joey Gibson in 2016 and based in Vancouver, Washington, a suburban city in the Portland metropolitan area. Since 2016, the group has organized several dozen pro-gun, pro-Trump rallies held in liber ...

, posted a video on

Parler Parler () is an American alt-tech social networking service associated with conservatives. Journalists have described Parler as an alt-tech alternative to Twitter, and users include those banned from mainstream social networks or who oppose ...

indicating a state representative let the group into the capitol, and in January 2021 security video was released of Nearman allowing similar

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

protesters to enter the Oregon State Capitol Building through a door. Oregon House Speaker

Tina Kotek Tina Kotek (born September 30, 1966) is an American politician and the governor-elect of Oregon. Kotek served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. She was the first openly lesbian person to serve as a speaker of ...

fined Nearman $2,000 and stripped him of his committee assignments and appointments. Kotek also asked him to resign. Kotek and others filed a formal complaint about Nearman's actions creating a

hostile workplace In United States labor law, a hostile work environment exists when one's behavior within a workplace creates an environment that is difficult or uncomfortable for another person to work in, due to illegal discrimination. Common complaints in sexual ...

. Nearman also gave up his Capitol building badge; he agreed not to let unauthorized people into the building and was required to give 24 hours notice before entering the building.

Oregon State Police The Oregon State Police (OSP) is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OSP enforces all of Oregon's criminal laws and assists local law enforcement agencies. Terri Davie has served as Superintendent since November 1, 2020. The ...

opened a criminal investigation against him. On April 30, 2021, prosecutors charged Nearman with official misconduct in the first degree (Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum 364 days in prison and a US$6,250 fine) and criminal trespass in the second degree (Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine). Nearman did not appear in court on May 11 when he was arraigned on the charges, and his attorney did not file a plea. Nearman must appear in court in person or remotely for a June 29 hearing. In June 2021, video was discovered of a meeting at the office of the Freedom Foundation on December 16, 2020, during which Nearman detailed his plan to allow protestors entry to the capitol, which he dubbed "Operation Hall Pass". He gave out a cell phone number, which was his, and said that by calling that "random number" to say that they are at the West entrance, somebody may open the door on their way out. On July 27, 2021, Nearman pleaded guilty to one count of

official misconduct An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...

in the first degree as part of a

plea agreement A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

. In exchange for his guilty plea, Nearman received 18 months of

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

, and must complete 80 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

during his probation. Furthermore, he will have to pay $2,700 in fines for damages done to the Capitol during the riot, and is also banned from the Capitol building and its grounds.

Expulsion

On June 10, 2021, the Oregon House of Representatives voted 59–1 to expel Nearman on the grounds of "disorderly behavior"; the sole vote against was cast by Nearman himself. He is the first member to be expelled in the state's history.

References

External links

Legislative website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nearman, Mike Living people People expelled from United States state legislatures Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives People from Independence, Oregon American software engineers 1960s births Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American politicians Oregon politicians convicted of crimes