Conservative influencer and YouTuber Nick Shirley made an unexpected appearance at the California Statehouse on Thursday, aiming to engage Democratic lawmakers in conversation.

Shirley was seen positioned outside the entrances of the statehouse, equipped with a stack of documents and accompanied by a videographer.

In footage obtained by The California Post, Shirley is shown approaching Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D), seeking his opinion on current legislation.

Another video shared with The Post captures Shirley interviewing an unidentified individual. Additional footage depicts Shirley moving away from a capitol entrance while being recorded.

Earlier in the week, Shirley criticized a proposed California bill, claiming it would essentially “criminalize investigative journalism” and undermine his viral efforts to uncover fraud within the state.

“The true threat is from within,” Shirley declared. “When our leaders choose to defend fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s imperative we take a stand or risk widespread oppression from those who ‘govern’ us,” he stated.

The legislation, which one Republican lawmaker dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” is aimed at boosting privacy for immigrant services providers. Authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D), the measure would outlaw sharing the photo or personal data of a provider on the internet for harassment or violent purposes.

Bonta said the purpose of the bill is to protect against incidents of doxing and death threats.

“Individuals who provide immigrant support services including legal aid, humanitarian relief, case management, and advocacy are facing targeted harassment. This is not hypothetical,” Bonta said at a April 7 hearing.

Shirley and Republican lawmakers, however, argue that some, especially from the left, could unfairly perceive videos from conservative influencers like Shirley’s as harassment and therefore put their reporting as a criminal liability.

Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio blasted the bill as an “unconstitutional” attempt to hide fraud from taxpayers.

“This insane bill would make it a crime for citizen journalists to post videos of left-wing groups engaging in fraud,” DeMaio said on X.

Violators would face up to a $10,000 fine or up to one year in county jail under the bill. If sharing the information results in bodily harm, the penalties would escalate to up to a $50,000 fine and felony imprisonment.

Bonta dismissed that characterization.

“If MAGA can’t tell the difference between journalism and doxing, that’s on them,” she said in a video posted Tuesday.

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