The Insurgence: Sheriffs

How are sheriffs undermining elections? Since 2022, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) has teamed up with True the Vote, a multi million-dollar “Stop the Steal” group, to position sheriffs as key players in election denial. This episode explores how these sheriffs’ actions have escalated voter intimidation and suppression, with plans to deputize armed citizens and form “posses” to disrupt election processes and intimidate officials. We reveal how this movement both upholds systemic White supremacy and pushes for a new vision—one that some describe as a modern confederacy. As these alliances converge heading into 2024, what does it mean for the future of democracy?

Featured in this episode:

• Jessica Pishko, independent journalist, lawyer, and author of The Highest Law in The Land: How The Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy
• Mary McCord, Executive Director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP)
• Devin Burghardt, President and Executive Director of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights (IREHR)

Further Reading:

• CSPOA is preparing to disrupt elections in the lead up to 2024.
• Plans to target election officials in Florida have surfaced in particular.
• The Claremont Institute’s Sheriff Fellowship discloses the MAGA think tank’s strategy.
• Read The Highest Law in The Land: How The Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by Cloee Cooper. This episode was co-written by Cooper and Camilo Garzón. Field recording, research, and investigative reporting for this series by Cloee Cooper. Audio production and audio editing for this series by Laura Ubaté and Camilo Garzón. Sound design, engineering, and mix for this series by Daniel Murcia and Juan David Sarmiento. Story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann was our production assistant and creative consultant, and provided fact-checking for the series. Additional production assistance by Rene Martin. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Cloee Cooper for Political Research Associates and by Camilo Garzón for Cuentero Productions.

Thanks to Tony Philips, Jackson Allers, Yahyah Johnson, Ariel Cooper, and Preeti Shekar for their production consultation and for believing in this series. Thanks to Koki Mendis, Becca, and Jasper Bernes for helping me see it through. Thanks to Gabriel Joffe for their creative and design input over so many years. And to Christina Voight and the Soros Justice Fellowship for giving me the time and support to make it happen. And a very special thanks to Javier Briones for always bringing people, stories, and projects like this all together.

Sheriffs wield immense power over U.S. county jails, controlling the lives of a third of the nation's incarcerated population in addition to acting as enforcers of immigration law. But what happens when that power goes unchecked? When sheriffs ignore a pandemic’s threat, mismanage facilities, or oversee jails where dozens die from medical neglect?

In this episode, investigative journalists Cloee Cooper and Raina Lipsitz dive into the chilling story of upstate New York’s Constitutional Sheriff Tim Howard. They reveal how Howard—a sheriff with ties to far-right groups like the CSPOA and Oath Keepers—escaped accountability for 17 years. Despite investigations into inhumane conditions, medical neglect, and allegations of sexual misconduct by deputies, Howard used his so-called “constitutional” authority to sidestep responsibility. With few structural accountability measures beyond local elections, sheriffs operate with limited oversight—leading to unchecked power and ongoing neglect and violence in America’s jails.

Featured in this episode:

• Raina Lipsitz, journalist and author of The Rise of the New Left
• Monica Lynch, veteran and activist based in Buffalo, NY
• Nan Haynes, Professor Emerita at the University at Buffalo School of Law and former environmental, occupational, and civil rights lawyer.
• April Baskin, Chairwoman of the Erie County Legislature/Representative County District 2
• Geoff Kelly, author at The Investigative Post
• Tim Howard, former Erie County Sheriff and Town Supervisor of Wales, NY

Further Reading:

• Check out an in-depth look into why people keep dying in the Erie County jail by Raina Lipsitz, based on a joint investigation with Cloee Cooper.
• Explore why the former Erie County Sheriff thinks he’s above the law in the context of the rise of the far-right in upstate New York.
• Read about the surprising powers of sheriff departments in this New York Times opinion piece by Maurice Chammah.
• Learn about the dire consequences of the trend of sheriffs refusing to enforce COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown mandates at the county level.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was co-written by Cloee Cooper and Camilo Garzón. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Raina Lipsitz contributed reporting. Interviews conducted for this episode by Cooper and Lipsitz were also featured in an investigation published by the New Republic in March, 2023. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.

What happens when the Constitutional Sheriffs network finds an ally in the White House? In this episode, we uncover how far-right networks leveraged the power of local sheriffs to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a nationwide crackdown on immigrants. In February 2019, ICE launched a series of raids across North Carolina, arresting over 200 undocumented people in retaliation against newly elected Black sheriffs who had pledged non-compliance with ICE. At the center of this backlash was Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, who, with the backing of the anti-immigrant group FAIR and the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA), helped expand sheriffs' roles in immigration enforcement. This episode exposes how far-right forces worked strategically to use local law enforcement to broaden the criminalization of immigrants across the country.

Featured in this episode:

• Stefania Arteaga, Co-Director at Carolina Migrant Network
• Felicia Arriaga, Assistant Professor of Political Affairs at Baruch College, and author of Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America
• Ethan Fauré, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates

Further Reading:

• Learn more about the efforts that led to North Carolina’s Mecklenburg county Sheriff Gary McFadden, campaigning on non-compliance with ICE.
• Explore sheriff department affiliations with the far right across the country in this map.
• For tools on how to challenge county sheriffs, check out this Defund Sheriffs toolkit.
• Read Felicia Arriaga’s book, Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was co-written by Cloee Cooper and Camilo Garzón. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Ethan Fauré contributed research for this episode. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.

Why do far-right activists in the West, from the Bundys to the militias that occupied Oregon's federal land in 2016, harbor such deep resentment toward the federal government? And how did sheriffs become protectors of ranchers in their standoff with federal authorities? In this episode, we examine how key figures within the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) helped orchestrate the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation. The takeover wasn’t just a 40-day armed standoff—it marked a turning point in the growing alliance between far-right activists and local sheriffs in their resistance to federal authority. Host Cloee Cooper touches on the roots of this conflict, tracing decades of far-right resentment and showing how the CSPOA empowered militias to challenge the government.

Featured in this episode:

• Zoe Nemerever, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Auburn University
• John Sepulvado, former journalist with Oregon Public Radio

Further Reading:

• For a thorough exploration of Oregon’s patriot movement and their involvement with the 2016 Malheur Wildlife Refuge Takeover, read Up In Arms: A Guide to Oregon’s Patriot Movement.
• Dive into the history of Sheriffs in the West and their alignment with anti-federal government activists.
• Learn how GOP politicians planned and executed key aspects of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Occupation.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was co-written by Cloee Cooper and Camilo Garzón. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.

Why are sheriffs aligning with right-wing insurgents? We take you back to 2012, inside a conference room in Las Vegas, where a new far-right network of sheriffs—the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA)—held its first-ever gathering. Their mission? To combat what they saw as the “socialist” agenda under former President Obama.

CSPOA openly fosters alliances between sheriffs and militias. Some of the figures involved, like Stewart Rhodes—founder of the Oath Keepers, who was later charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 insurrection—have become central players in today’s ongoing political conflict. What does this growing bond between far-right movements and elected sheriffs mean for the future? How could it escalate the threat of far-right insurgency?

Featured in this episode:

• Frederick Clarkson, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates
• Mary McCord, Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown University

Further Reading:

• Learn how a Right Wing Network Mobilized Sheriff’s Departments.
• Read a recently published excerpt from Jessica Pishko’s new book, The Highest Law in the Land, on constitutional sheriffs.
• Take a deeper dive into one of the Christian militant movements influencing this network, Christian Reconstructionism.
• Check out this background on another key influential group within this network, The John Birch Society.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was also written by Cloee Cooper. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.

How are far-right groups shaping the future of law enforcement and racial justice across America? After George Floyd's murder by police ignited global protests, a dark story unfolded in the small town of Minden, Nevada. Through firsthand accounts, this episode traces the chilling reality faced by racial justice protesters in 2020—who were violently run out of town by militias in coordination with their local sheriff. With echoes of the town's long history of vigilantes and law enforcement working hand in hand, this underreported story exposes the dangerous alliance between far-right militias and county sheriffs, fueled by the national network of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association.

Featured in this episode:

• Ilya Arbatman, an independent researcher and activist from Reno, Nevada
• Bert Johnson, KUNR senior correspondent

Further reading:

• Political Research Associates tracked at least 400 incidents of paramilitary and far-right threats to 2020 racial justice protests.
• There’s a long history of far-right militias and White supremacy groups in Nevada. This guide by Political Research Associates, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN), and Indivisible Northern Nevada details some of that history.
• Read this local account of the incident in Minden, Nevada on August 8, 2020.



The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by PRA research director, Cloee Cooper. This episode was also written by Cloee Cooper. Audio production, audio editing, sound design, sound engineering, sound mix, story editing, story development, and consulting production by Cuentero Productions. All under their client-facing trademark, Cuentero Transeúnte Productions™. Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann provided production assistance and creative consulting. Additional production assistance was performed by René Martin. Original score is by Aakash Desai. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is executive produced by Political Research Associates (PRA) and Cuentero Productions.

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is coming soon later this month!

The Insurgence: Sheriffs is a podcast series that uncovers how a national network of far-right sheriffs is mobilizing to create a White Christian republic, one county at a time. The series features first-hand accounts from people across the country who have come up against the sometimes-fatal consequences from the unchecked power of county sheriffs and their growing alignment with the new Far Right. The Insurgence: Sheriffs is created and hosted by investigative reporter and PRA Research Director Cloee Cooper, and co-executive produced by Political Research Associates and Cuentero Productions.

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