Western States Strategies Calls for McGeachin to Resign after Appearance at White Nationalist Event
On Friday evening in Orlando, Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin appeared at the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), an event organized as a white nationalist alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which has routinely featured panelists promoting dangerous conspiracy theories including Holocaust denial, COVID misinformation, and lies about the outcome of the 2020 election.
"There's no clearer sign that Janice McGeachin has chosen to align herself with conspiracy theorists, antisemites and white nationalists than her decision to appear at AFPAC last night," said Eric K. Ward, executive director of Western States Strategies. "AFPAC isn't a typical conservative conference; it was specifically designed to elevate the kind of bigoted and violent rhetoric that most politicians would be ashamed to be associated with. The fact that McGeachin affirmatively sought out that company is a damning indictment of her embrace of white nationalism."
At the event, McGeachin spoke alongside white nationalist figures like AFPAC founder Nick Fuentes who said "the US government has become the Great Satan that many have called it." He suggested that comparing Vladimir Putin to Hitler is "a good thing," before laughingly adding "I shouldn't have said that." Fuentes has a long history of antisemitic rhetoric and attended the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA.
Another speaker at the conference, right-wing radio host Stew Peters, accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of creating COVID-19 as a bioweapon and incited violence against him, asking “why is this man running around free instead of hanging on the end of a noose somewhere?”
"No one who so openly throws in with white nationalists has a place in our government at any level," said Ward. "This is the latest in a long series of connections between the Lieutenant Governor and the leaders of violent, anti-democracy movements. McGeachin should resign her office immediately. And other Idaho elected officials should make clear that they'll use their voices to speak out against this unapologetic bigotry that tears at the very fabric of our nation."
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Western States Strategies is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization based in Portland, Oregon. Please visit www.westernstatesstrategies.org for more information.
For media inquiries please contact press@wscpdx.org.
