Washington AG hunts for scandal after five-minute meeting between Sheriff and ICE

Left-wing media and the Washington Attorney General’s office are manufacturing a scandal out of thin air, and Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is the latest target. His supposed crime? Saying “hello” to federal law enforcement.

In April, Sheriff Swank met briefly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. It wasn’t some secret operation or backroom deal, either.

“I had a meet and greet in April, I think, with the ICE Director, you know, I didn’t even know where the facility was, because I just worked in Seattle for 33 years. So I actually wanted to see what the facility was, meet the director there and chit chat and just have a meet and greet because we might end up having to go down there to handle protests or something like that. So, that was about all. It was about few minutes there, said “hello,” met some people that worked there, and that was it,” Swank exclusively explained on The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM.

Shady tactics by Attorney General’s office

Despite the routine nature of the meet-and-greet, the Tacoma News Tribune reported that the state Attorney General’s office filed a public disclosure request demanding every scrap of communication Swank’s office has had with ICE, Customs and Border Protection, or U.S. Marshals. To the sheriff, this isn’t about transparency—it’s political targeting.

“Somebody from the Attorney General’s office put in a public disclosure request, I don’t know, months ago, weeks ago, wanting to know about any any communications I had with anybody from ICE, actually, from anybody from that whole Trump administration, or anybody associated with it and federal agencies or anything like that,” Swank said.

He doesn’t buy the idea this was routine. He says he’s being singled out.

“Yes, that’s how I take it. I think they’re looking for a way to come after me. They’re, you know, hoping I did something so you say I violated the Keep Washington Working Act, which is keep violent illegal aliens in our community act, and so, yeah, I haven’t done anything to violate that,” Swank explained.

A five-minute hello, nothing more

The meeting was nothing more than a courtesy hello with a new ICE director, Camilla Wamsley.

“Well, it was just a ‘hello,’ get to know each other, and that was it. I don’t really remember anything specific out of it, other than my name is Keith, your name’s Cam, good to meet you, and if anything, get a hold of me, sort of thing,” Swank explained.

No agreements were made. No operations were planned. And Swank has been clear he won’t break the law or risk his deputies’ careers by violating the Keep Washington Working Act, the state’s shameful sanctuary policy.

“I don’t want to jeopardize my deputies for any legal things that happen, you know, a lawsuit filed for against them by the Attorney General, the bully. So I just don’t want to jeopardize that with them. If I could handle it all myself, then I would enter into an agreement with them just to make this thing go to the U.S. Supreme Court if I could, but I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize the men and women of Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.”

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