The U.S. House just voted in favor of a massive tax and spending bill. And, here in Washington, on Wednesday night, a high-ranking King County official was arrested.

King County Assessor John Wilson is running for county executive – an open seat overseeing the Seattle-area metro system, county jail, sheriffs, and more.

Wilson was arrested for allegedly violating a restraining order against his ex-fiancee.

But who is Wilson, and why is he running for executive?

Today, we’re re-broadcast a conversation between Scott and Libby from KUOW’s Soundside. Because even if you don’t live in King County and aren’t voting in the upcoming primary election, it surfaces lots of important questions about due process and how and when elected officials are held accountable.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/politics. Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producers this week are Sarah Leibovitz and Jason Burrows. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

And we want to hear from you! Send us your politics questions by emailing soundpolitics@kuow.org or give us a call at 206-221-0511.

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