BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin made a video appearance at the America First Political Action Conference in Orlando last week.
That video, which aired Friday and lasted just under six minutes, has hung around a lot longer than that.
By Saturday, several organizations and political leaders across Idaho were calling for her resignation.
Why?
Because AFPAC, which dubs itself the alternative to CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference being held at the same time, in the same city, has a list of questionable characters.
Let's just say "alternative" is a fine choice of words because many consider AFPAC a conference for the alt-right.
Why?
Because the event is attended, headlined and organized by supposed white nationalists and anti-Semites.
Not all of them.
But just some of the big ones.
For example, the man who spoke just before Lt. Gov. McGeachin's video played is named Vincent James or Vincent James Foxx, a known white nationalist and anti-Semite.
He's the founder of the website Daily Veracity and once part of a white supremacist group from southern California.
Then there's the organizer and headliner, Nick Fuentes, who took part in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Here he is speaking about writer Matt Walsh on his America First podcast.
“Matt Walsh, Shabbos goy race traitor. That's what it is folks. I know some people don't like to use that expression but it's totally true, throwing his own people under the bus he hates white people. Nobody else talks like that about their own people except white people and it’s gross.
“Race traitor, you worked for Jews, you know. That's going to get me in trouble.”
So these are the kinds of people the lt. governor thought would be a good idea with which to share a stage, to say this:
"I need freedom fighters all over this country that are willing to stand up and fight for the protection of our freedoms and our liberties,” McGeachin says in the video. “Even when that means fighting amongst our own ranks because there are too many Republicans who do not exhibit the courage that is needed today for us to fight and protect our freedoms and our liberties. We are literally in the fight for our lives.”
So that's why there's been a backlash to Idaho's lt. governor, who said regrettably she couldn't attend in person.
By Saturday afternoon, Lt Gov. McGeachin decided to respond to the calls for her resignation.
First, blaming the media, and second, that she supports many America First policies.
"I was invited to submit a video to AFPAC, and I took the opportunity to share my views about these vital America First policies,” McGeachin said in her statement Saturday.
“I do not and have never supported identity politics or other discriminatory views that only seek to divide us and not unite us. Anyone who actually listens to what I say or who pays attention to what I've done in my many years of service knows this is true."
That statement, though, left a lot of unanswered questions, some of which we were able to ask the lt. governor Monday, when we caught up with her just outside her office.
Mostly, did you know what you were getting involved with, and if you did, why go ahead with it?
Transcript begins:
McGeachin:
"There's a growing number of conservatives, young conservatives all across the country that are really concerned about the direction that our country is headed. This America first Political Action Conference, that's who they are and they're all committed to supporting the America first policies, especially as it relates to our wide-open borders under the Biden administration."
"We're losing our country. They're worried about that. They're worried about election integrity. So I was asked to present a video. I wasn't able to be there personally, so I was asked to present a video along with others; Michelle Malkin, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and a few others.
Brian:
"Are you familiar with who puts this event on? Like Nick Fuentes?"
McGeachin:
"I don't, I don't know who he is. I don't. I've never met him. I don't know who he is."
Brian:
"Did you not look into it before you decided to say, 'okay'? Like to find out? I mean, his name is on it."
McGeachin:
"Well, you know what, Nick Fuentes, as I said, I don't know him. I, he's never, I've never met him. I don't know, you know, what is everything that he says or doesn't say, is not, does not reflect on who I am or who the thousands of others that are participating in this movement."
Brian:
"OK, you didn't bother to look up his name."
McGeachin:
"I didn't say that."
Brian:
"You did look him up?"
McGeachin:
"You didn't, that's not the question that you asked me."
Brian:
"Did you look up who Nick Fuentes was and what he what he's talked about? Like what he, things he has said?"
McGeachin:
"I have since."
Brian:
"Since last week. Not before."
McGeachin:
"Yes."
Brian:
"OK. I guess the question is, because if you've said, 'well I'm only here'..."
McGeachin:
"Again, it's not fair. I mean, the mainstream media, you do this to conservatives all the time, but you don't do it to yourself. That every time, any time there's any kind of affiliation with anybody at any time on any stage that we're all guilty by association."
"And it's not it's not appropriate."
Brian:
"But the association is not a good one. To be associated with people who are anti-Semitic."
McGeachin:
"Stop, stop. Excuse me, excuse me."
Brian:
"Yes."
McGeachin:
"You asked me why I was there, why I wanted to participate and speak to these young conservatives. That's what we're talking about right now."
Brian:
"Okay, Vincent James [Foxx] is also there, correct? Do you know who Vincent James [Foxx] is?"
McGeachin:
"I've heard of him."
Brian:
"You've had your picture taken with him."
McGeachin:
"I did have my picture taken with him."
Brian:
"Okay, do you know what he stands for? Things that he has said?"
McGeachin:
"No, I don't know all the things that he or anybody else. And again, I'm just going to keep repeating the same thing, that this guilt by association that the media tries to do with conservatives, and conservatives only, is that if we ever have met somebody once or took a picture with them or ever shared a stage with somebody, ever, ever, we're all guilty by association. If you want to know why I went there and why, what my message was, go watch my video."
Brian:
"I did watch your video. And if you...if you had known..."
McGeachin:
"That's what it was all about, you know."
Brian:
"If you had known who Nick Fuentes is, would you have said yes?"
McGeachin:
"Well, again, this movement is so much bigger than one individual. Who cares what Nick Fuentes has to say? Who cares? There's thousands and thousands of young conservatives all across the country that are very concerned about what's happening to our country."
"We are fighting for the soul of our nation with these wide-open borders. It's only a matter of time that America, we lose who we are as a free country. And so I'm not going to run away. I'm not going to hide from being willing and wanting to go talk to young conservatives about these issues."
Brian:
"If you say nobody cares what Nick Fuentes says, but people care that you're associated with them, or that you share a stage..."
McGeachin:
"Again, you're trying to do this guilt by association. Over and over and over again. And it needs to stop because if you want to know who I am and why I went there, I told you that."
"And you know, my, don't assassinate me or my character over something that any individual that I may ever have met in my life. If there are things that are said, or that they believe in, then that's that person. That's not me."
Brian:
"But that's not the first time. My point? Bring up Vincent James [Foxx]. It's not the first time you've been associated with this group."
McGeachin:
"Interview's over."
Brian:
"All right. Thank you. I appreciate it."
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