Idaho veterans head, former lawmaker apologizes for joking about sexual assault victims
A longtime Idaho legislator and newly appointed state agency director apologized and must undergo HR training after joking about sexual assault reporting on Twitter.
Marv Hagedorn is the recently appointed administrator of the Idaho Division of Veterans Services, a former six-term lawmaker and was among this spring’s Republican candidates for lieutenant governor. His post referred to the women who have alleged Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted them or otherwise behaved inappropriately, all in incidents from decades ago.
“Two ladies have come forward describing how Kavanaugh actually intentionally flashed them with his genitalia uncovered while trying to urinate on them! Regardless that he was a newborn these 2 nurses have been scared & need an FBI investigation!” states a Sept. 28 post on Hagedorn’s Twitter account.
Dozens of people replied to Hagedorn, chastising him for making fun of sexual assault victims.
“You sir have no respect or compassion for women or children,” wrote Linda Martin, an Oregon children’s rights activist. “Real class act coming from a former legislator. Is this how you plan to represent veterans? Many veterans are female and sexual assault survivors. Explain this comment to them.”
Hagedorn apologized in another tweet the next day: “What was meant as a bad joke was insensitive to many. I apologize. It was meant to make us ask ourselves, ‘When is it too late to speak up?’ Sexual trauma is serious and real, what we are witnessing is sending the message that it’s OK not to speak up! It’s not!”
Studies show most sexual assaults go unreported to police.
Hagedorn did not delete the offensive joke, which remained on his Twitter account as of Tuesday.
He did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Jon Hanian, spokesman for Gov. Butch Otter, said Otter’s chief of staff met with Hagedorn Tuesday. “Administrator Hagedorn is required to complete two trainings, through the Division of Human Resources, before November 1st,” Hanian said.
Further comment was unavailable: Otter is in Canada on a trade mission this week, Hanian said, and the situation is also being viewed as a personnel matter.
Hagedorn’s incident follows a similar situation two weeks ago involving Nez Perce County Sheriff Joe Rodriguez. A post on his Facebook account showed an image of an elderly woman with the caption, “My ass was groped in 1886. I waited till now to tell about it.”
Rodriguez later removed the post and said his wife had inadvertently posted the image to his account, according to Idaho Reports.
Hagedorn, who served three terms in the House and three terms in Senate, was one of five candidates vying for the GOP lieutenant governor nomination in the May primary. He lost to former Rep. Janice McGeachin.
Otter appointed Hagedorn in June to lead the veterans services agency. Hagedorn served in the Navy from 1974 to 1994. Hagedorn resigned from the Senate to accept the appointment, which was effective July 30.
This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 3:27 PM.