To elaborate, "something of value" is the language from the federal law. Under Washington state law, blackmail explicitly includes demands for services. I woul

To elaborate, "something of value" is the language from the federal law. Under Washington state law, blackmail explicitly includes demands for services. I would think that the demand for a public statement would qualify, however, I'm not a lawyer, and this case is unusual enough that I would not be confident in my personal interpretation of the law.