Kansas GOP boss warns of shadowy deep state, wants to dismantle federal agencies

Kansas Republican Party chairman Mike Brown appears at a June 20, 2022, candidate forum. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Kansas GOP chairman Mike Brown appears eager to fight the “deep state” powerbrokers who he claims control government agencies from the shadows, invade the personal lives of American citizens and undermine democracy.

In recent Kansas Republican Party newsletters, Brown proposes a review of constitutional protections for journalists and the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Education, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Service.

Brown, with an apparent spelling error, describes the deep state as “a tantacled beast with a specific gravity.”

“Dismantling the deep state may sound radical, but it’s absolutely necessary to ensure that America’s democracy remains vibrant and accountable,” Brown wrote in the party’s Sept. 27 newsletter. “Without real and transparent checks on these invisible power structures, the American people are left with an illusion of choice, while real power lies elsewhere.”

The concept of a “deep state,” which varies in scope and definition, is thought of as a conspiracy theory. Whatever it is, former President Donald Trump frequently vows to destroy it. Brown, who also spreads Trump’s false claims about election integrity, promises another Trump presidency would expedite the decommission of the deep state.

Brown’s weekly diatribes contrast sharply with the message from Kansas Democrats as candidates enter the final month of the general election.

“While Kansas Republicans continue to go down a rabbit hole of extremism, Democrats are focused on what Kansans actually want, like strong public schools, access to reproductive care, Medicaid expansion, and good-paying jobs,” said Andriy Bilyk, spokesman for Kansas Democratic Party.

Amber Dickinson, a political scientist at Washburn University who has rallied in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, said the “false narrative that there is somehow a deep state infiltrating American’s lives is a gross alteration of reality.”

“This is a manipulative scare tactic designed to heighten people’s connection to their party so they will vote with their party without question instead of voting for individual candidates,” Dickinson said.

By “charging up people’s partisanship,” Dickinson said, party leadership can propel the “false notion” that people are deeply divided. In reality, she said, most people are not “on the extreme ends of the political spectrum.”

“People should be offered real facts and given the fair chance to make a vote choice that is best for their life, free from these political games,” Dickinson said. “It is irresponsible of political parties to generate harmful scare tactics when they should be offering truth, honesty, and facts.”

The way Brown puts it in the GOP newsletters, the deep state “represents a shadow government that operates beyond the control of voters.”

“It’s high time we reclaim the democratic accountability that has been eroded,” Brown wrote. “America thrives when its government serves the people, not when it governs over them unchecked.”

His solution: Dismantle a host of federal agencies and realign others.

Nobody will miss the EPA, he wrote. The Department of Education, in his view, has “morphed into a bureaucratic maze that micromanages local schools.”

“The FBI has become far too political and the USSS is a paper tiger making it stunningly dangerous to those it is built to protect,” Brown wrote.

He thinks mainstream media’s “sycophant and derelict behavior begs a Congressional review of the MSM’s vast protections under the U.S. Constitution.”

And the “staggeringly stupid agenda,” as he calls it, of diversity, equity and inclusion “has played a key role in the recent rapid quality decline in all parts of government, including our military,” he wrote.

He also wants to move transportation, energy, agriculture and election departments under the Department of the Interior.

“Realigning these massive bureaucracies is not about eliminating services but about making them more efficient, accountable, and transparent,” Brown wrote in an Oct. 4 newsletter. “In doing so, we can create a government that works better for everyone and, most importantly, for America’s future.”