The Christian nationalists and “Patriots” who turned out in force Saturday to protest the annual Pride celebration in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, have been scrambling to disavow any connection to the neofascist elements attracted by their cause—particularly the 31 members of Patriot Front who were arrested in a U-Haul van by Coeur d’Alene police near the park as the event drew to a close. And no one is trying harder to distance himself from them than former Washington legislator Matt Shea, who led a march past the event protesting the LGBTQ community, and whose right-hand man and security chief for his Spokane Valley-based On Fire Ministries, Matt Buster, happens to be the father of two the arrested men.
At first, Shea tried to claim on Facebook that the detainees were actually all antifascists, calling it an “attempted ambush.” Then, two days later, he issued a statement throwing the Busters under the bus: Shea claimed that Buster was “not part of On Fire Ministries leadership in any capacity” and that the two sons, Josiah and Mishael Buster, “do not attend” the church. Yet as recently as last December, an On Fire livestream showed Shea introducing Mishael Buster to the audience and inducing him to join his father on stage to help lead that day’s service.
The day of the arrests, Shea took to Facebook to claim that the detainees as were antifascists. “This attempted ambush from antifa was thwarted,” Shea said. But those claims quickly evaporated as the reality of the identities of the arrested men were revealed to include his personal circle.
So on Tuesday, Shea hosted an hour-long discussion about the matter featuring two African American men who commiserated with him about how white supremacism was bad. But he opened the show with a statement about the Saturday arrests in Coeur d’Alene, which he called “the attempted setup of some great Christians and great Patriots that failed.” He claimed his ministry repudiated any form of racism, and then went on:
Matt Buster is not part of On Fire Ministries leadership in any capacity. But Matt Buster is a brother in Christ and we do not judge him for the actions of his sons. Josiah Buster and Mishael Buster do not attend On Fire Ministries. And what happened in Coeur d’Alene on Saturday with Patriot Front was extremely suspicious in both timing and execution. Patriot Front is in no way affiliated with On Fire Ministries.
However, many questions are raised and need to be answered about this incident […] Who funded the transportation, the lodging, the equipment for 31 men, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars? Why would anyone leave seven pages of a printed plan at the scene in the back of a U-Haul? Why was the unloading of the truck timed exactly to coincide with our peaceful prayer march passing by? And if police can stop and arrest someone on the mere suspicion of a riot, why hasn’t this been done to stop the destructive riots all over this country over the last couple of years? […]
It appears to us that there was an agenda to create a photo op smearing peaceful Christians and patriots. Local law enforcement admitted on camera […] that Patriot Front was infiltrated by confidential informants. Similar to Jan. 6, this incident smacks of an attempted setup. Well, they failed. And we will continue unafraid and boldly preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout this region. Nothing is gonna stop us. We will not back down.
Shea’s denials fly in the face of the factual reality regarding the Busters’ relationship with On Fire Ministries. As Religion News reported, Matt Buster in fact runs the church’s “Real Men’s Ministry” and until very recently was featured as the name and face beside the logo for that outreach program. The logo features two crossed swords accompanied by the slogan, “Iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
In a Dec. 19, 2021, livestream of On Fire Ministries’ holiday services, Shea can be seen encouraging Mishael, 22, to come up onstage and join his father. Matt Buster and his son then proceeded to run through upcoming events and activities, with Mishael peppering the presentation with shouts of “Whoo!” Matt Shea, meanwhile, shared jokes with Mishael while seated in the audience.
Religion News noted, however, that Matt Buster’s name and photograph vanished from the church’s website on Monday, though it still appeared in an archived version.
In other news related to the fallout from the Saturday arrests:
- The man who paid $2,200 to help bail out seven of the Patriot Front detainees has been identified as an Idaho man, the Coeur d’Alene Press’ Kaye Thornburgh reports. Court records showed that Joshua Plotner of Craigmont plunked down the bail for seven of the men, paying $315 plus fees for each of them.
The men whose bail he covered were Dakota Ray Tabler of West Valley City, Utah; Wesley Van Horn of Lexington, Alabama; Mitchell Frederick Wagner of Florissant, Missouri; Nathaniel Taylor Whitfield of Elk Ridge, Utah; Robert Benjamin Whitted of Conroe, Texas; Alexander Nicholai Sistenstein of Midvale, Utah; and Jared Michael Boyce of Springville, Utah. Plotner did not respond to inquiries.
Court documents show that 12 suspects paid their own bail, Thornburgh reported: four of them through surety bonds, and four others paid by people who appeared to be relatives.
- One of the arrested men, Winston Durham of Genesee, Idaho, has been further identified as a Washington State University senior enrolled in the school’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program, and is enlisted in the Idaho National Guard. A Guard spokesman said Durham enlisted in February 2019, and is assigned to a field artillery unit.
“His position is somewhat unique,” the spokesman said. “He was also enrolled in Washington State University’s ROTC program, so basically he’s still on training status. At this point, he’s considered a cadet, not a guardsman or an officer.”
Durham also is a recipient of a Minuteman Scholarship, which provides $10,000 per year for tuition or room and board, and includes $1,200 for books with a $420 monthly stipend. Recipients are required to remain active with the Guard.
The ROTC Army Cadet Command issued a statement about Durham: “Cadet Command has placed Mr. Durham on a leave of absence status pending the outcome of the civilian criminal investigation,” the statement reads. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously, as such conduct is not in line with Army values.”
-
We talk to expert Brandi Buchman about everything you need to know for the Jan. 6 committee, hearings, and investigation on Daily Kos' The Brief podcast