Far-left Seattle journalists appear to cheer on Trump assassination attempt

Staff writer at The Stranger Ashley Nerbovig, who covers “policing, incarceration and courts” for the far-left outlet posted on X, “Make America aim again,” in reaction to the news that the former president had survived the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday. Nervobig deleted the post, but screenshots went viral. She then deleted her account.

Fellow Stranger writer Hannah Krieg criticized Seattle’s Democratic mayor for praising the Secret Service and wishing the best for the former president.

Following the news of the failed assassination, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrel posted on X, “This act of political violence is disturbing and unacceptable in our country. Thank you to the Secret Service and all the first responders who quickly secured the scene. Our thoughts are with the former president and all the people who attended today’s rally.”

Krieg shared the post and wrote, "Mayor Bruce Harrel swiftly comes to the defense of Trump, a failed insurrectionist touted by mainstream Democrats as an existential threat to Democracy.” She deleted the post and then locked her account after the blowback.

Krieg studied Journalism and Public Interest Communication at the University of Washington and interned for Crosscut, now Cascade PBS, before working for The Stranger. After the posts were deleted, the Stranger posted on X, “The Stranger condemns political violence in the strongest possible terms. Period.”

Nerbovig, a former Montana TV news reporter, was arrested on a felony burglary charge in 2022. According to charging documents, the former NBC affiliate employee broke into her ex-boyfriend's house and tried to steal the dog that the two had previously shared. The charges were eventually dismissed.

The two reporters have been at the forefront of pushing the far-left outlet’s radical agenda. They have also been covering and supporting anti-Israel and anti-American activists in the Seattle area during their protests. The pair were spotted on the I-5 freeway in January when pro-Hamas activists blockaded the highway for 6 hours. Washington State Patrol had previously considered charging them for being on the freeway, which is illegal. Journalists from other outlets who covered the incident did not venture onto the roadway.

The outlet has not responded to requests for comment.

On Saturday, Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, PA, when shots rang out. He reached up to his right ear, realized he was being shot at, and dove under the podium where he was quickly surrounded by Secret Service agents and rushed offstage while pumping his fist in the air and yelling, “Fight. Fight. Fight.”

The Secret Service located the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crooks on a nearby rooftop and shot him dead.