BONNERS FERRY, ID—Republican candidate Robert Sutherland purchased a three-story home in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in the summer of 2025 using a VA loan. Both his lender, Premier Mortgage Resources, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed to the Lynnwood Times that VA loans require the property to be used as the borrower’s primary residence and that borrowers must certify this before approval. Despite this legal requirement, Sutherland continues to publicly claim Washington residency while running for state office, raising serious questions about whether he misrepresented his occupancy intentions to obtain the VA loan or lacks required qualifications to be on the ballot.
Borrowers of VA loans must certify on VA Form 26-1820 that they “now actually occupy the above-described property as my home or intend to move into and occupy said property as my home within a reasonable period of time…”
Also, according to the VA Lender’s Handbook (Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 3), “The law requires a Veteran obtaining a VA-guaranteed loan to certify that they intend to personally occupy the property as their home. As of the date of certification, the Veteran must either: (1) personally live in the property as their home, or (2) intend, upon completion of the loan and acquisition of the dwelling, to personally move into the property and use it as his or her home within a reasonable time.”
Reasonable time, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “means within 60 days after the loan closing” — in Sutherlands case that would be August 5, 2025, 60 days following his closing date of June 6, 2025.
Certified property records from Boundary County, Idaho, reviewed by the Lynnwood Times show Sutherland and his wife bought the 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath, three-level, 3,283-square-foot house on 1.56 acres for $797,292 in June 2025.
In a March 27, 2026, social media post, that is now edited, Sutherland announced he is leaving Washington state to Idaho “where our Rights are respected and our property isn’t slowly being taken from us, more and more each year.”
The original Facebook post by Sutherland reads: “After 36 years of living, working and raising our four kids in WA State it is time for us to move on. My wife and I have purchased a house in Idaho and are in the process of moving. Why? Because we prefer to live in a State where our Rights are respected and our property isn’t slowly being taken from us, more and more each year. We’ve met some great people over the years and we are going to miss you all dearly. But we look forward to meeting new friends as we begin this new chapter in our lives. Peace out.”
In a March 30, 2026, Facebook post that was edited April 16 removing he was leaving, Sutherland originally wrote that he “fought long and hard, trying to better the lives of ALL Washingtons” and that he and his wife have made the “hard decision, as I have, to pack up and LEAVE WA State.”
In a March 31, 2026, interview with conservative political commentator and journalist Jason Rantz on the The Jason Rantz Show [2:29:51 mark], on him leaving Washington state to Idaho, Sutherland shared that he sold his Granite Falls home and for several weeks has been moving his belongings to North Idaho with a closing date of April 27, 2026.
“And so, we’ve been slowly moving [to Idaho] ever since,” Sutherland told Rantz, “Just coming out every couple [of] weeks, bringing a load of stuff. And our home in Washington has sold; we have a closing date of April 27th. And, you know, God willing, if all goes well, then we will be fully out [of Washington] and we’ll be over here in Idaho and enjoying our new adventure.”
Rantz, a few days prior to his interview with Sutherland on March 31, shared that he spoke with Sutherland who was in a moving truck driving to Idaho.
After his interview with Rantz on March 31, 2026, Washington State Representative of the 39th LD Carolyn Eslick (R-Sultan) announced that she will not seek reelection at the end of her current term, concluding nearly a decade in Legislature and almost 30 years in public service.
On Saturday, April 18, at the Snohomish County Republican Central Committee Meeting that took place in the Snohomish County Administration Building in downtown Everett, Sutherland announced his intention to run for outgoing Rep. Eslick’s seat—the only female Republican elected to the House from Snohomish County who he called “very weak” in a March 30, 2026, Facebook post that is now edited.
Numerous Facebook records obtained by the Lynnwood Times show that on April 16, 2026, Sutherland—or someone with access to his Facebook account—was re-writing “history” with a narrative to allegedly conceal from the public his move to Idaho from Washington state to presumably run for the Washington State Legislature.
Also, at the Snohomish County Republican Central Committee Meeting on April 18, Sutherland allegedly told multiple people that his statement on his move to Idaho was “taken out of context” or “misinterpreted.” Something he reiterated in his April 20th interview on the Jason Rantz show.
“I certainly hope I didn’t lead anyone to believe that we’ve already moved to Idaho,” Sutherland said on The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM (3:31:20 mark). “If I did, I did not mean that. We still live here in Washington. My wife still works in Seattle, and our plan was to take the next year or two and slowly move over there, take our time, you know, because buying and selling homes and moving is a pain. It’s a very stressful ordeal.”
However, according to The Federal Savings Bank an exception to the 60-day occupancy rule for a VA loan is if a veteran is “planning to retire at a specific time within 12 months of applying for their VA loan may be able to negotiate a later move-in date” — in Sutherlands case, this would be no later than June 6, 2026, one year following his closing date of June 6, 2025, of his Idaho home which one must certify is his primary residence as a condition for loan approval.
The “year or two and slowly move over there [Idaho]” response to Rantz in his April 20 interview would put Sutherland in a possible noncompliance to the VA loan required occupancy rule of 60 days with an exception of up to a year.
VA loans are strictly for primary residences only and not for second homes, vacation properties, or investment/rental properties. The borrower must certify (on VA Form 26-1820 at closing) that s/he intends to personally occupy the property as their primary residence within a reasonable time after closing—an intent to no longer be a Washington state resident.
Sutherland recently sold his Washington state home in Granite Falls on April 24, 2026, for $1.125 million—well within this 12-month VA loan 60-day occupancy rule exception for his Idaho home.
Sutherland is still a registered voter in Washington State, the Secretary of State’s Voter Database indicates, and has a current active voting status. However, in Sutherland’s voter registration, it lists his mailing address, used to receive his physical ballot, as 303 91st Avenue Northeast Street E504 #133 in Lake Stevens—a UPS Store in a strip mall.
The physical address listed on his voter registration, on the other hand, according to voter records as of July 1, 2026, is 6828 Robe Menzel Road in Granite Falls, which according to the Snohomish County Assessor belongs to a John and Kelly Moselage. Since a Lynnwood Times investigation launched in May 2026, Sutherland has not been observed by the Lynnwood Times and its private investigator at this newly listed Granite Falls physical address of John and Kelly Moselage.
John Moselage stood alongside Sutherland as plaintiffs in a 2022 lawsuit that claimed vaccination requirements for lawmakers conducting business in the House of Representatives were discriminatory and a violation of rights and freedom. He also contributed a total of $3,900 to Sutherland’s political campaigns from 2017 through 2024, PDC records show.
In 2017, Moselage wrote an op-ed for the Daily Herald supporting Sutherland’s campaign for Snohomish County Council.
In Sutherland’s 2023 campaign he included Moselage in his payroll, paying him $2,000 to install campaign signs.
Sutherland only recently sold his Washington home (April 24, 2026), and yet remains a registered voter in Washington state, and is now running for Washington State Representative while claiming to live in Washington.
According to the Washington State Constitution (Article II, Section 7): “No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen.”
Under RCW 29A.24.075, at the time of filing a declaration of candidacy, a person must be:
- A registered voter, and
- Properly registered to vote in the specific legislative district they are running in.
Although Sutherland was likely able to file and get on the ballot in May 2026, he could now face a very high legal risk of being successfully challenged and removed from the ballot or disqualified from holding office if elected:
- In June 2025, Sutherland bought a home in Bonners Ferry, Idaho using a VA loan which requires certification that the home will be used as a primary residence which is strong sworn evidence of intent to live in Idaho.
- He sold his Granite Falls, Washington, home on April 24, 2026, removing a major residential tie to Washington state.
- In May 2026, Sutherland filed/registered to run for Washington State House (39th LD, Position 2—only weeks after selling his Washington home.
- According to multiple sources, Sutherland is now claiming he is renting from a friend in Washington.
- A Lynnwood Times investigation uncovered the Washington state location listed in Sutherland’s voter registration is that of a person he has close political ties with including thousands in donations to his earlier campaigns.
- Washington law defines residence as the place where a person physically resides and maintains their abode (RCW 29A.04.151). Surveillance by the Lynnwood Times has yet to indicate that Sutherland is allegedly living at the claimed rental address on his voter registration.
Helen Smith, Communications Officer with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office shared with the Lynnwood Timesthat it is not the Secretary of State’s job to actively review voter eligibility challenges, but voters currently registered to vote in the same county can challenge a candidate’s eligibility through the County Assessor, the Prosecuting Attorney, or by filing an affidavit with the appropriate court per RCW 29A.68.011.
Sutherland was also allegedly spotted driving a Lexus vehicle with temporary Idaho plates when he attended the Skagit County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on May 16, 2026—eight days after the final day for all candidates to file for office and five days after the candidate withdrawal deadline.
Misrepresenting residency to run in a political campaign is nothing new to the region.
In 2022, a Clark County Superior Court judge ruled that candidate John Ley was ineligible to run for the 18th Legislative District because he did not actually reside at the address he claimed—he was using a friend’s address. The court removed him from further consideration even though he had filed and appeared on the primary ballot.
In January 2025, the Lynnwood Times uncovered that former Lynnwood City Council member Josh Binda had been allegedly living in a South Everett home while retaining his seat on Lynnwood City Council – despite a requirement of the position being Lynnwood residency.
That same year, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Richard Okrent ruled on September 9, that Everett City Council District 4 candidate Niko Battle did not provide sufficient evidence to prove he is a resident of District 4 and was removed from the ballot.
The conundrum for Sutherland and potential mortgage fraud
“In general, loan fraud involving federal agencies would likely violate federal law and be federal jurisdiction,” the Washington State Attorney General’s Office wrote in a statement to the Lynnwood Times involving Sutherland’s VA loan home purchase.
Because Sutherland obtained a VA loan to obtain his Idaho home in June 2025, a loan that required a sworn VA Form 26-1820 certification of primary residence occupancy, combined with the timeline and the alleged lack of physical presence at his claimed Washington rental address, the Lynnwood Times is awaiting an update from the VA Office of Inspector General on plausible mortgage fraud by Sutherland.
If proven, this could result in Sutherland being held responsible for an accelerated loan payment in full, a loss of VA loan benefits/guaranty, a requirement to repay any funding fee waiver or other benefits, a potential civil lawsuit from his lender, or in the most extreme case: a criminal prosecution.
Mortgage fraud is a serious federal crime that is punishable for up to 30 years in federal prison and up to $1,000,000, per offense, in fines.
President Donald J Trump has recently gone after Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook due to allegations of mortgage fraud, though on Monday, June 29, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, to reject the bid.
Cook was accused in August 2025 by then-FHFA Director Bill Pulte of mortgage fraud. The main allegation was that in 2021, she listed two properties as her “primary residence” on mortgage documents within weeks of each other. The claim was that she did this to get better interest rates and terms that lenders reserve for primary residences.
Sutherland filed to run for Washington office in 2026 while still claiming Washington primary residency creating an appearance of using the VA loan under false pretenses for later political advantage.
Sutherland is no stranger to controversy and self-proclaimed election integrity crusader
In 2022 the then Washington State Representative was reprimanded and put under an ethics investigation for yelling obscenities at a State Capitol Sergeant at Arms after being confronted about not wearing a mask during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak.
During a speech at a rally on the state Capitol campus in Olympia on March 5, 2022, Rep. Sutherland shared an incident he had the day before with the Sergeant-at-Arms. During the encounter, according to Rep Robert Sutherland, he told the law enforcement official, “F*** You.”
In a King 5 interview, Sutherland said the officer acted in a “very intimidating” way and that he thought the officer “was going to physically do something” to him or “throw” him down and arrest him.
According to the letter of reprimand, the official investigation determined that on Friday, March 4th, Sutherland was escorted out of the John L. O’Brien building, his office location, because he “failed to adhere to the House testing protocols by failing to test for COVID-19.”
Sutherland filed a counterclaim against the Sergeant at Arms following his investigative interview, which the House determined to be retaliatory in nature – a violation of House policy. The investigation found that Sutherland acted in a retaliatory manner when he filed a counter complaint and spoke to the press disparagingly about the Sergeant-at-Arms.
This was the same year Sutherland was accused of false political advertising after he stated he was endorsed by then-Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney, though Fortney denied ever giving his endorsement nor that Sutherland even reached out for it for that election cycle.
In 2021, five Republican State Representatives, including Sutherland, held an unofficial A.U.D.I.T. Public Hearing at the House Church in Snohomish urging attendees to bring forward evidence of voter fraud related to the 2020 presidential election.
In 2022 Sutherland, along with two other Washington Republicans (Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, and Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick), used $4,361 of taxpayer’s money to attend a three-day “Cyber Symposium” event hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in Sioux Falls, SD. The central theme of this event was that the 2020 Presidential Election was “stolen” by “cyber ninjas” – a claim that has since been repeatedly disproven.
Sutherland, himself, is a well-known 2020 election result denier even taking to social media to urge his followers to “prepare for war” and that it would lead to a second civil war.
Sutherland has historically run his campaigns on “election integrity” and government accountability. In 2023 Sutherland ran for Snohomish County Auditor but lost to Garth Fell, after receiving 26.7% of the vote. He is currently running is House Representative campaign on “election reform” and “transparency.”
According to his current campaign website, its lists “election reform” as a campaign priority: “Our election processes need to be transparent for all to see and witness. Washingtonians should not have to rely solely on the government to announce who the winning candidates are. And everyone who wants to vote needs to demonstrate that they are legally allowed to vote.”
Also, on his campaign website for State Representative, he wrote: “It should go without saying that our state and local government officials should defend and obey the state and federal constitutions. This is critical for safeguarding our Constitutional Republic. I support the rule of law.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
