Retired Ada County sheriff’s attempt at character assassination of Lt. Gov. McGeachin

I am compelled to respond to the hit piece retired Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney wrote against Janice McGeachin. It was as pathetic an attempt at character assassination as I have seen and completely unprofessional for a law enforcement veteran of Mr. Raney’s experience.

First, readers of the Statesman are treated to a video clip of the demonstration at St. Luke’s Boise hospital Saturday, March 12. The caption under the photo describes demonstrators — gathered to protest the forcible taking and holding incommunicado of a 10-month-old baby from his parents days earlier — holding signs and shouting at police. Anyone viewing the clip saw no such behavior. This writer viewed the whole event video, and no threatening behavior of any kind appears anywhere on it.

Sheriff Raney goes on to denounce Ammon Bundy for terrorizing hospital staff and threatening police officers in their homes. Parenthetically, I know nothing of what Bundy did or did not do, and so I neither condemn nor exonerate him. I do take issue with Raney claiming the hospital was threatened by demonstrators; that is absurdly false. The demonstrators spent their time before the hospital praying and listening to officials such as the three Idaho legislators who addressed them. Anyone watching the entire video can verify this.

It is just as absurd to attack people’s constitutional right to protest — First Amendment — and to openly carry weapons — Second Amendment. Raney excuses his disregard of both state and federal constitutions with the lame statement, “Accidental discharges of a gun are not uncommon.” Seriously? When was the last time we had an accidental discharge of a gun at a demonstration in Boise? In Idaho?

I take larger issue with Raney claiming Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin somehow “promoted Bundy’s actions and encouraged his calls for violence.” He adds that she is “equally responsible and equally dangerous.” That is a lie, pure and simple. The first of two roles McGeachin played in the baby debacle was to call the governor and ask if he intended to intervene. (Brad Little lacked the courtesy to even answer her question.) The second was to encourage Idahoans to pray for all parties — which several hundred did that day — at the hospital and on the steps of the Capitol.

Raney writes, “McGeachin and Bundy…think the rules don’t apply to them. They…grab power and undermine the constitutional principles that make America great.” Yet he offers not a single example of McGeachin behaving in such a way as to support his claim. He concludes by calling her a hypocrite who threatens anyone who disagrees with her. Threatens? Again he offers not a speck of evidence.

Mr. Raney, it is you, sir, who are the hypocrite. As a retired law enforcement officer, you know something about the rules of evidence. I suggest you try living by them. Idaho deserves far more professionalism in law enforcement officials than you demonstrate in your thoroughly abusive — and fictionalized — guest opinion.

Idaho needs — and deserves — a governor of both professionalism and integrity, Janice McGeachin.

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 4:00 AM.