Idaho Lawmaker Faces Ethics Questions Over Naming of Rape Accuser
A Republican lawmaker running for lieutenant governor refused to submit to ethics questions after releasing a rape accuser’s personal information via social media .
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Idaho Republican Rep. Priscilla Giddings is the subject of two ethics complaints by two dozen lawmakers after she publicized in disparaging social media posts on a far-right news article, and in a newsletter to constituents, the name, photo and personal life details of a female Statehouse intern who accused a lawmaker of rape, reports the Associated Press. During a public hearing before the Idaho Legislature’s ethics committee to determine whether she violated ethics rules, Giddings deemed the committee’s questions “irrelevant,” said the complaints about her behavior amounted to little more than “woke cancel culture” and argued the ethics investigation was politically motivated.
Giddings, who is running for lieutenant governor, argued that the young Statehouse intern who said she was raped wasn’t actually a victim or entitled to privacy under the law and also said sharing the article link was the same as handing someone a newspaper, and was protected under her First Amendment right to free speech. The Legislature’s ethics committee scheduled the public hearing after finding probable cause that Giddings engaged in “conduct unbecoming a representative, which is detrimental to the integrity of the House as a legislative body.” Advocates for victims of sexual assault said the situation showed why many are afraid to report crimes. After the intern’s identity was revealed, she was subjected to a flood of harassment. Rep. Brooke Green, a Democrat and one of the bipartisan group of lawmakers that signed onto an ethics complaint, said the complaint was made because the Legislature has an obligation to ensure that sexual assault victims are safe and not revictimized by having their privacy violated.
