The following take down of Jerrod Sessler, a Congressional candidate for Washington's 4th Congressional District, is taken from the blog, Certain Information. Photos were added.
Suspension of Reality
Sit back and enjoy the ride on the crazy train because this is going to be a doozy.
How does one approach the topic of Jerrod Sessler? Who is he? In short, he's a failed congressional candidate in the crowded 2022 primary. He could have faded into obscurity after being trounced and having spent a small fortune of his own money on the election to finish in 4th place. However, Jerrod is keeping himself busy. He's decided to run again for Congress in 2024. He has maintained an active social media presence. He's started a charity. He's involved himself with the Benton County Republican Party.
Good stuff!
But let's look a little closer, shall we?
Jerrod's bio includes strong reliance on his "former-NASCAR driver" status and his "engineering degree." Both of those claims may be objectively true, but when I hear NASCAR I think of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, not a defunct regional series. Hey, he's trying to appeal to the red-blooded Americans. Creating his own campaign-branded fire suit seems over the top, but hey, it's campaigning.
The engineering degree is quite simple. Jerrod claims to have "Manufacturing & Mechanical Engineering Degrees." Per Ballotpedia, his BA is from Kennedy Western University (Go Mighty Whatevers!). KWU is a defunct, non-accredited distance learning "university" that faced allegations of being a diploma mill and government scrutiny. It no longer exists. Does this mean Jerrod doesn't know the difference between hydraulics and pneumatics? I don't know. Would an engineering firm hire someone with a degree from a defunct, non-accredited, distance learning diploma mill? I don't know. We report. You decide.
As mentioned above, Jerrod launched his fledgling campaign with major cash infusions from his own coffers. He used those personal funds to send out misleading press releases claiming a lead in fundraising as a proxy for broad support from actual voters and donors. The same press release notes that his laughable campaign commercial has "garnered millions of views across platforms already." I find that unlikely, given that here we are nearly two years later and what would seem to be the main video content platform, YouTube, shows 16 thousand views on that particular video: If there are at least 1,984,000 views on another platform I will retract and apologize profusely.
Another early blunder was his search for campaign staff on Craigslist: The highlight here is this line:
"Sadly, due to our current woke-sheep culture, female candidates, although welcome, will need to demonstrate their commitment to the mission in writing and with references to protect the candidate from future false claims that could damage his reputation."Oh, man. This prompted articles in the TCH and Yakima paper behind paywalls, but you can enjoy this write-up.
Of note, this incident could have been a violation of RCW 49.60.180 (Unfair Practices of Employers) which states it is an unfair business practice to “print, or circulate, or cause to be printed or circulated any statement, advertisement, or publication, or to use any form of application for employment, or to make any inquiry in connection with prospective employment, which expresses any limitation, specification, or discrimination as to age, sex…”. Mr. Sessler’s campaign subsequently deleted the ad and apologized.
Two years later and Sessler is back at it. I hope his bank account can take another hit because despite setting a goal of "breaking the all-time record of monthly recurring donations for a congressional candidate," Jerrod has raised a whopping $1,800 as of the March 31 filing. All this, while still reporting his own donations as campaign debt presumably to be repaid if he hits the fundraising lottery: Not sure this is the guy we want reigning in our national debt if his own campaign is out $500k.
Then, just last week, Jerrod Sessler was suspended from Twitter: Why might that have happened to such an upstanding citizen? Certainly, the vast-left wing staffers at Twitter must be responsible! Oh wait, this is Elon Musk's Twitter and even Jerrod has routinely praised Elon on Twitter. Yet, despite being a Christian and a family man, Jerrod seems to have broken an "abusive behavior" rule: Pity. I'm sure the world is missing out on top-notch political commentary from him: It's like Shakespeare losing his quill. Well, yet he who is without sin cast the first stone. It's not as if Sessler has any history of shenanigans...
Oh, except for when he allegedly made a threat to a county employee that he would get his gun and "deal with" him resulting in a stern rebuke from the three Republican county commissioners. He also got into a verbal altercation with Christopher Gergen, Loren Culp's campaign manager after a debate in Yakima that resulted in court proceedings. Can't say I fault Jerrod for that one though. The dude is suspect.
Everyone has bad days. What can we deduce from Sessler's other activities?
First, there is the confusing tale of where exactly is Jerrod from. (Note: all of the following information is public record, but some names and addresses are removed just to avoid accusations of doxing.) Jerrod claims to be a proud Prosserian. He built and moved into his Prosser home sometime around the 2018 purchase of the land and the 2022 construction [To date, no permanent building has been constructed; see photo below]. The timing is interesting as Sessler registered to vote at his future home even before he actually lived there all of which caused Kennewick City Councilman John Trumbo to challenge Sessler's voter status. While it was dismissed, Sessler ironically claims "election integrity" is one of his key issues. The property in question was purchased by RQ Bradley LLC in 2018 [Jerrod Sessler is the Governing Agent for RQ Bradley]. Approved building on the property occurred in 2022.
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| 84009 West Old Inland Empire Highway, RQ Bradley LLC |
So is Jerrod from Prosser or a carpet bagger from the westside who saw an opportunity to run for Congress? [Sessler was born in California in 1969 and move to Seattle in 1974] Records show he sold his Burien home in November of 2021: Quite the entrepreneur, Sessler has had nine different registered businesses where he is/was the governor including his congressional campaign LLC. Most were most recently registered to a Seattle or Burien address. Yet, even Hometask, his enduring Prosser business was registered at a Burien address as recently as 2021.
Lawsuits can be a part of life, especially in the business world. The courts are there to settle disagreements, so being sued is not in and of itself a sign of wrongdoing. Having said that, let's look at some cases.
In 2009, Jerrod was sued as part of his HomeTask business:
He had received a loan of up to $1.8 million of which $450,000 was actually dispersed:
No payments were received thus prompting the lawsuit:
Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of the Plaintiff and Sessler was on the hook for over $500,000 on the judgment:
In 2010, Sessler was also sued by Wells Fargo Bank:
This lawsuit was due to non-payment on a line of credit:
This matter was settled out of court and dismissed in August 2010.
Also in 2010, Sessler was sued by FIA Card Services, a credit card company, for approximately $40,000. The case was closed and dismissed in October 2012.
Further, Jerrod has some deep thoughts on property taxes and the various regulations that drive them up. He sympathizes with "the turtles and the owls," but wants to "radically reduce property taxes." How radical of a reduction? Well, maybe all the way to zero given that he failed/declined to pay his own property taxes on the above mentioned property.
Meanwhile, back on the campaign trail...
As of the most recent reporting, Sessler appears to have trimmed back his massive spending spree that racked up his half-million-dollar campaign debt and only has one employee on the books thus far for the 2024 cycle. That individual is Illinois-based Christina Gerding:
All told, the Sessler campaign has paid Gerding $23,900 from November 2021 through March 2023. Who exactly is Christina Gerding?
Well, in 2021 she was charged with three counts pertaining to the January 6th debacle when she and her husband illegally entered the Capitol. (Unsure if, being a female, she provided a written commitment or references to protect the candidate from false allegations). This past January, both pled guilty and they await sentencing on May 16 (facing up to six months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine). We shall see if she maintains her volunteer coordinator duties for the Sessler campaign from the pokey.
Would any of this surprise or turn off Mr. Sessler? Unlikely. Famously, Jerrod was there in D.C. during the January 6th storming of the Capitol calling it just a "rally" and they were "set up." Sessler frequently blames the Capitol police and the FBI. Not, you know, the Proud Boys.
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| Jerrod Sessler, US Capital, January 6, 2021 |
This is an issue near and dear to Sessler's heart. In August of 2021 (months before Gerding was first paid by his campaign), he released a video from D.C. where he interviews a recently released detainee and exploits an interaction with the Capitol police for attention. Apparently, Sessler believes Gerding to be innocent and a victim of an Antifa/Deep State/Capitol police conspiracy and worthy of sympathy. Providing a remote job for an eastern Washington congressional campaign to an Illinois-based person charged with multiple federal crimes was the least he could do.
Whew. What else?
Well, there is that charity that Jerrod started, the Eastern Washington Help Line. The mission is to create a "community of freedom loving [sic] patriots who reach out to help each other rather than looking to big government for a handout with strings attached." A bit obscure of a mission but can't fault anyone for looking to strengthen community bonds and assist people without the use of the state. Nothing wrong with a new, fresh 501(c)4 out there. Nope, nothing wrong with that. Oh, but there is the minor issue that neither the Internal Revenue Service nor the Washington Secretary of State appears to have any record of an Eastern Washington Help Line.
Finally, Jerrod has apparently assumed a leadership role within the Benton County Republican Party as the chair of the PCO Training and Candidate Support Committee. I can't think of anyone else more qualified.
Indeed we do, Jerrod. Indeed we do.
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