Skullduggery afoot in the Idaho Legislature

There’s more skullduggery a foot in the Idaho Legislature. As the session draws to a close a slew of new bills are coming out of committees. One in particular has gotten my attention, House Rule 45. This proposal would make charges of any ethics violation hearings against a sitting legislator secret, as in closed to the public. 

Rep. Vito Barbieri, a member of the House Ethics Committee, is the sponsor of this bill. 

Some may recall that almost five years ago the Ethics Committee had a hearing against former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger who was accused of sexually assaulting a legislative intern. After the public hearings von Ehlinger resigned after the committee recommended sanctions. Ehlinger was later convicted in court of rape and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. During that trial Barbieri submitted a letter to the judge saying that von Ehlinger was “an upstanding person.” 

One could reasonable wonder that if the von Ehlinger hearings had been held in secret would he have been allowed to simply disappear from public life and a trial never held? Far too many times we’ve seen elected officials avoid any of the consequences of their actions. HR45 is a bad idea. 

GIL BEYER

Sandpoint