Idaho group hosted ‘journalist’ who flirts with Holocaust denial | Opinion

On Dec. 3, Stand Up for Idaho, a conservative group based in Idaho Falls, featured a presentation by Casey Whalen, pitching him as an “investigative journalist.”

But Whalen has a much, much darker side. On Nov. 24, he posted on his Substack an interview he did with Germar Rudolf.

Rudolf is one of the most prominent Holocaust deniers in the world, writing 54 books bolstering his claim that the “so-called extermination camps” weren’t used to systematically kill people. Rudolf is most famous for claiming there was no sign of poison in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. He was convicted and sentenced in Germany for inciting hatred, disparaging the dead and libel.

Rudolf is not the only extremist Whalen has provided visibility to.

Last year, Whalen wrote of his attending Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point conference in Detroit. In particular, he described how Kirk’s group expelled extremist Nick Fuentes from attending. Whalen fawned over a “Mussolini” speech given by Fuentes outside. Fuentes has summarized his views as: “I think the Holocaust is exaggerated. I don’t hate Hitler. I think there’s a Jewish conspiracy. I believe in race realism.”

Fuentes is certainly not a person to swoon over.

On that same post, Whalen provided a discount code (using his own name) for 10% off any of the 22 publications sold by Money Tree Publishing — a white supremacist online book store — including “Mein Kampf” by Hitler and titles such “Jews are the Problem,” “The Myth of German Villainy,” “Synagogue of Satan,” “Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told” and “The Six Million — Fact or Fiction?”

The particular book Whalen himself highlighted was “The International Jew: The World’s Foremost Problem,” published by American industrialist Henry Ford. This incredibly awful collection of essays claimed Jews were the cause of many of the world’s problems at the time. Ford was later forced by a lawsuit to retract his claims. But the book deeply influenced Nazi anti-Jewish thought. Hitler himself kept a copy in his office, and in 1938 awarded Ford the Grand Cross of the German Eagle in recognition.

Whalen’s presentation to Stand Up for Idaho centered on a September trip to Israel, sponsored by the Israeli government, by five Idaho House members. The five Idaho legislators were Reps. Josh Tanner, Barbara Ehardt, Bruce Skaug, John Shirts and House Democratic Minority Leader Ilana Rubel. About 250 American state legislators from across the country also went to learn about Israel and the issues it faces.

Whalen repeatedly mentioned that Rubel is Jewish and asserted she was under the direction of various Jewish groups and implied she was manipulating the other attendees.

He quoted George Washington’s concerns about foreign influence but neglected to mention Washington’s famous letter to the Jewish community in Newport, Rhode Island, where he stated that the U.S. government “gives to bigotry no sanction.”

Whalen also focused on Ehardt, criticizing her for drafting a bill to upgrade the penalty for anti-Semitic activity in Idaho, calling it “dangerous.” But the measure actually says such enhancement would not apply to activity protected under the First Amendment or the Idaho Constitution (“Every person may freely speak, write and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty”). Whalen was adamant that he opposes any measure to restrict hateful speech of any form.

He specifically defended the 31 members of the Patriot Front group who were pulled over and arrested in a U-Haul in Coeur d’Alene in 2022 for planning to riot at a Pride festival. They were equipped with shields and smoke grenades and a written plan to harass the attendees. Whalen has described Patriot Front as “an organization comprised of young, physically fit white men who promote American ideals and family values.”

I, for one, don’t consider a planned riot consistent with “American ideals.”

He also indicated Coeur d’Alene had overreacted to the racial taunting on its streets of University of Utah women during the 2024 NCAA tournament basketball tournament. And, he denounced any form of hate crime laws by state or local governments.

Stand Up for Idaho’s leader, Doug Toomer, reinforced Whalen’s message, called the trip to Israel by Idaho Legislators “a bribe” and noted that people like Tucker Carlson have questioned Israeli influence.

Toomer and Whalen both failed to say a word about other countries who have sponsored numerous other legislative trips. Instead, the sole focus was on Israel and, in Whalen’s case, Jews.

The reference to Tucker Carlson was particularly disturbing. Carlson recently gave white supremacist Nick Fuentes airtime to spread his anti-Jewish message, being roundly criticized by prominent conservatives for doing so.

Stand Up for Idaho needs to take to heart the recent words of conservative commentator Ben Shapiro when considering future guests: “You don’t invite the neo-Nazi who lives down the street over to have a nice chat with your kids, because those are views you don’t want in your home. That’s normal.”

Whalen is a person beyond the pale of decency. Giving him a platform merely allows him to spread his particular brand of division. Stand Up for Idaho should vet its presenters better in the future.

And all Idahoans should give a cold shoulder to Whalen and his ilk.

Steve Taggart is an attorney in Idaho Falls and has worked in Republican politics since his teens, both in campaigns and for elected officials, including running a congressional office.

This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 4:00 AM.