Idaho Governor Rips His Own Lieutenant for Trying to Hijack Power in His Absence, Says He’ll Be ‘Reversing’ Her Orders

Jackson RichmanOct 6th, 2021, 11:38 am
 
Janice McGeachin

Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images.

Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, a Republican, acted like the governor, Brad Little, also a Republican, when the latter was out of the state – in accordance with the state’s constitution.

While Little was in Texas on Tuesday, McGeachin issued an executive prohibiting state agencies, including K-12 schools and universities, from instituting coronavirus vaccine mandates or testing.

McGeachin also inquired into sending Idaho National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border.

However, Little said that he would reverse her actions. He is expected to return to Idaho on Wednesday evening, reported the Associated Press.

“I will be rescinding and reversing any actions taken by the Lt. Governor when I return,” he wrote in a Twitter post on Tuesday that included a screenshot of his Facebook post condemning McGeachin attempt to deploy the Idaho National Guard to the Southern Border.

In the Facebook post, Little stated:

I am in Texas performing my duties as the duly elected Governor of Idaho, and I have not authorized the Lt. Governor to act on my behalf.

Before I even left the state, the Lt. Governor unabashedly requested information from the Adjutant General to deploy our National Guard to the border, the same place I am visiting today to work with my fellow Republican governors on solutions to the crisis. Attempting to deploy our National Guard for political grandstanding is an affront to the Idaho constitution and insults the men and women who have dedicated their life to serving our state and the country. The crisis at the border is something I take very seriously. That is why this summer I worked closely with the states of Arizona and Texas to determine the most impactful way to support their mission, and I sent a specialized team of Idaho State Police troopers to support drug interdiction efforts at the border. The people of Idaho can be assured that as their duly elected Governor, I will continue to fight this important issue.

I will be rescinding and reversing any actions taken by the Lt. Governor when I return.

This is not the first time McGeachin has undermined Little when the governor was out of the state. In May, she banned mask mandates in schools and public buildings. Little repealed the executive order.

Despite both Little and McGeachin both being Republican, in Idaho, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately whereas the two run on the same ticket in other states. McGeachin has announced she will run for governor in 2022, while Little has yet to say whether he will run for re-election.

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