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Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little temporarily left the state on Tuesday on government business and his deputy, Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, immediately began issuing right-wing orders as she temporarily held power executive – including a ban on coronavirus vaccine warrants.
That same afternoon, McGeachin issued an executive order – as acting governor – prohibiting state officials from requiring what she called “Covid-19 vaccine passports” from employees, the report said. Washington Post.
Little, who was in Texas to meet with nine other Republican governors over concerns over Joe Biden’s handling of migration across the US-Mexico border, vowed to quickly quash McGeachin’s order upon his return to Idaho.
“I am in Texas to serve as the duly elected governor of Idaho, and I have not authorized the lieutenant governor to act on my behalf,” Little said in a statement shortly after arriving in Texas. Tuesday. “I will cancel and cancel all measures taken by the Lieutenant Governor upon my return,” he added.
Also on Tuesday, the battle between the governor and his No. 2 continued.
McGeachin, who has associations with members of far-right militias, tried to activate the Idaho National Guard and send troops to the southern border in a very unorthodox move to crack down on undocumented migrants who were attempting to cross into the United States 2,000 miles from his state.
“As of Wednesday, my constitutional authority as governor gives me the power to activate the Idaho National Guard,” McGeachin wrote to Major General Michael Garshak in a letter.
Garshak rejected McGeachin’s request and replied, “I am not aware of any requests for assistance from the Idaho National Guard under the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Pact (EMAC). or Arizona… As you know, the Idaho National Guard is not a law enforcement agency. “
McGeachin’s National Guard request also drew criticism from Little, who said in a statement: “Attempting to deploy our National Guard for political purposes is an affront to the Idaho constitution and insults both men and women. who have dedicated their lives to serving our state and country. “
Tuesday’s maneuver was not the first sign of conflict between the governor and the lieutenant governor. In May, while Little was out of state, McGeachin issued an executive order banning mask warrants, which help prevent the spread of Covid-19. Little revoked the ban upon his return.
According to Idaho’s constitution, the lieutenant governor is required to take over when the governor is out of state.
McGeachin, a far-right Republican, is running for governor in next year’s Republican primary. In Idaho, the governor and the lieutenant governor are not running on the same ticket, creating a potential political battle within the party in the coming months.
In June, McGeachin was backed by a right-wing militia leader after announcing her candidacy for governor.
In video obtained by the Guardian, Eric Parker, who was indicted for his role in the libertarian standoff at Bundy Ranch in Nevada in 2014 where he was pictured pointing an assault rifle at federal agents, praised McGeachin in a glowing speech.
“We have to do everything we can to get her to where she can do the most good for us… we’ve done it for us,” Parker said, before kissing McGeachin.
McGeachin has been involved in a series of earlier controversies involving links to extremist groups. In 2018, she declined to answer questions from the media about whether she was using members of Three Percenter as part of her security services during her gubernatorial run.
She has also previously pledged support for anti-mask and anti-lockdown protesters across Idaho.
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