Benton County Republican Party Pre-Endorsement Interview with Jerrod Sessler, December 2023

 

Members of the Benton County Republican Party Executive Committee
interview Jerrod Sessler, December 2023.

Before the Benton County Republican Party (BCRP) decided to endorse Jerrod Sessler for WA4 over the incumbent, Dan Newhouse, Annette Parrish Rose and Jerry Martin, of the Executive Committee interviewed him. This was just prior to their December 7, 2023, membership meeting. The interview covered a wide-ranging list of topics and lasted for approximately one hour.

The BCRP left the interview up on their BCRP Website. The result presents Sessler at his most candid, outside his rallies with like-minded Trump supporters.

Legitimacy of 2020 Election

Sessler makes it clear in his answers that he considers President Biden to be an “illegitimate” President. He also believes Biden is corrupt, and refers to payments to Biden from the Chinese, who allegedly rewarded him for promoting solar energy.  Sessler referred to a WH Press Conference about promoting solar power in Africa, and on Ghana's solar industry, as an example, pointing out [correctly] that China leads in solar panel production.

Role of Government

Asked about the role of government, he questioned whether the federal government had any role, and implied the existing government was “tyrannical.” Asked about the need for national defense, he went back to the Civil War and said the primary reason for that war was to preserve unity of the states, rather than slavery, and used this to justify the military having a "domestic role." He criticized today's military, saying it needed reform due to its “woke agenda.”

Capitalism

Sessler believes capitalism is by nature “selfish” and argues that for it to function properly and fairly, it must be “balanced by Christian values."

Taxes

Asked about the American tax system, Sessler said he favors the "Fair Tax System," with all taxes being paid "at the retail sale.” Further, he favors taxes being paid only at the state level, with states being responsible for funding the federal government.

Immigration

Sessler believes the problem with America’s immigration system is that the Executive Branch has too much power to shape it using policies geared to their particular constituency. He is critical of progressives, who promise “free stuff” to anyone coming through the border, including “cell phones.” He said there were currently no real limits on immigration or on immigrants. He brought up Henry Kissinger as someone who "immigrated from Germany and became Secretary of State.” [Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution]

Education

Asked about the education of children in the US, Sessler said he favors abolishing the Department of Education, and leaving the determination of K-12 educational curriculum to parents in each state and school system.

Healthcare

Asked about Americans’ right to healthcare, Sessler recounted his bout with cancer, which he recalled as being "24 years ago,” and credited his diet, life style, and prayer with his recovery. He said people who don’t take care of themselves shouldn’t have their health care paid for by the government.

Energy

Sessler believes renewable energy alternatives are inherently inefficient and unreliable because they are, “Unthrottable” [I believe he meant non-dispatchable]. He referred to Leland Olds as a visionary, who realized that cheap energy would promote “human fruition.” [Olds was denied a third term as Chairman of the Federal Power Commission because some consider him too close to the Communist Party]

Sessler favors fossil energy and opposes the US “dictating” that Third World countries use renewable energy sources [see previous comment on Ghana]

Sessler said Washington State is a poor choice for wind energy because "it doesn’t have enough wind." He favors gas, and “micro nuclear” energy. Sessler opposes breaching the LSRDs and expressed his opinion that salmon recovery is “hogwash.”

Agriculture

Asked about agriculture in Washington, Sessler said he is a farmer. He said he had a variety of farm animals, "Including; cows," on "70 acres near the river.” He says he favors a “farm to table” agricultural system. Sessler said farmers are over regulated, especially when it comes to labor. He was critical of lodging requirements for farm workers.

Sessler said, “Environmentalists don’t want us to use water,” claiming that, "we have plenty of it." He blames "non-profits in Seattle," and "Olympia" for misleading us on water availability.

Transportation

Sessler talked about inflation when asked about the future of transportation in Washington. He said it cost him $277 to fill up his truck between north CD4 and Benton City. He suggested maybe we needed a "recess" that drive fuel costs down, but said there's too much money in circulation to make that work. He predicted a "recess" in 2024.

Environment

When asked what we should be doing to improve our environment, Sessler said, "Just enjoy it." He said America was the most environmentally friendly country in the world. He suggested that people should, "Create a spreadsheet to compare America to other countries on environmental categories; it's really quite interesting."

Sessler claimed that concerns over our carbon footprint is a marketing term to make us believe that fossil fuels are a problem. He said, "There is no such thing as fossil fuels."  He claimed it's a lie to make us believe that fossil fuels come from dinosaurs that existed millions of years ago. "The core of our Earth generates petroleum products. We have an endless supply," we can drill and frack, and with "our own human recipes" create what we need for our "fruition."

Sessler said that, "Carbon levels today are only .04%," and that's close to the minimum we need to grow things. "That's why we need so much fertilizer." He said that, "50 years ago it was something like 14 or 15 times higher…a radical difference that meant we needed less fertilizer."

Sessler claims being anti-carbon is "looney," and blames the "tyrannical government" for trying to trick us in order to take our tax dollars.

Sessler concluded his views on environmental issues by saying, "As christians, we need to be good stewards of the Earth."

Role in Congress

Asked his role as a congressman, he said to be, "A firebrand for conservative values."

Personal

Asked about himself, Sessler said he was an "abused child," who grew to be successful, had been married for 27 years, home schooled his two kids, and created a successful business. He decided to go into politics when Obama was reelected in 2012. He feels we are "facing a holy war, of good versus evil."