Idaho Dems hire new director as feud erupts with one it fired after 2 days on the job

Two days after the Idaho Democratic Party hired David Trotter as its new director, it fired him on Sept. 6.

Trotter, a political operative from Illinois and Florida, quickly took to social media to air his grievances over his termination by alluding to “possible racial discrimination,” but he would not provide the Statesman further details on the record.

Last Friday, Trotter posted to his blog details about his termination, including allegations that one of Idaho Democratic Party’s board members voted against hiring him because he was a “white male” and “not a person of color.”

Lindsey Johnson, Idaho Democratic Party communications director, told the Statesman on Monday that Trotter’s statements “are erroneous and malicious.”

“Neither Mr. Trotter’s hiring nor his firing had anything to do with his race,” Johnson said. “The Idaho Democratic Party terminated Trotter’s employment due to numerous concerns with his conduct during the short period of time he was employed with the Party. Further, an internal investigation revealed disconcerting information about Mr. Trotter’s activities predating his employment with the party.”

After a nearly three-month search, IDP hired Trotter as its executive director on Sept. 4, and then quickly fired him. At the time, Johnson said the party could not comment on Trotter’s termination because it is a “personnel issue,” but she explained the organization’s process for hiring a director.

“We have a hiring committee that conducts a search and multiple interview process, that committee makes a recommendation to the chair, and then with chair approval, the chair brings the candidate to the executive committee to approve. If the executive committee doesn’t approve the candidate, the process starts over,” Johnson said.

Both the personnel and executive committees had approved Trotter’s hiring.

IDP would not answer any of the Statesman’s questions regarding allegations Trotter made in his blog post or about his actions during his brief employment, because “it is a personnel matter that we cannot disclose details on.”

Trotter, too, is not talking. He stated that his Sept. 21 blog post “would be the last statement I am going to make on this matter ... I will not write or discuss politics, nor will I be responding to any media or individual requests for reactions or clarification regarding this.”

Meanwhile, the state Democrats are moving on. On Monday, the the party announced that former director Elle Casner would be returning to her position effective Sept. 26.

Casner joined IDP in February 2015 as its chief financial officer. She served as it executive director from November 2017 to March 2019. After she stepped down, she remained with the party as a senior adviser.

“My decision to step back from my position was the appropriate choice for myself at the time, but I am looking forward to rejoining the staff and building upon the success we had in 2018 as we head into 2020,” Casner said in a news release.

This story was originally published September 23, 2019 at 5:46 PM.