BOISE, Idaho — On Thursday afternoon, Republican Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger resigned from the legislature after a House ethics committee voted unanimously passed a motion to censure the 38-year-old after they found he committed "conduct unbecoming" of a state representative.
The representative from District 6, the Lewiston area, was accused by a 19-year-old student Statehouse staffer of raping her in his apartment after a dinner date in March. After hearing from the alleged survivor on Wednesday, lawmakers were ready to expel von Ehlinger.
"That was a decision that was overdue by about six weeks frankly," Speaker of the House Scott Bedke (R-Twin Falls) said. "I found out and I think obviously he did the right thing, the House was, however, prepared to expel him."
von Ehlinger was appointed to his seat last June by Gov. Brad Little after the district's previous representative died from a heart attack. He went on to run unopposed in the November general election and kept his seat in the legislature.
Now, with his resignation, the whole process will begin again.
The process begins at the local level then works its way to the governor's office, who has the final say on who fills the seat.
Gov. Little said in a statement that he commends Jane Doe, the name used by the alleged sexual assault survivor, for her bravery. He said, in part, "I applaud Jane Doe and the other brave women for their courage in telling their stories and participating in this process to hold Representative Aaron von Ehlinger accountable for his deeply damaging and shameful actions."
He added that he supported the ethics committee's recommendation of expelling von Ehlinger.
"Let's commend the courage of Jane Doe here, that was a very difficult situation that she was in and she had the courage to step forward and to tell the story," Bedke said.
With the process of selecting a new appointed representative for District 6 now underway, Bedke said the Republican Precinct Chairs in the district will meet and decide on three recommendations for Gov. Little to select from. The committee has 15 days to come up with the three names.
It's the same process that led Ehlinger to the Statehouse the first time.
"I'm sure the precinct chairmen in district 6 have been watching the proceedings here very closely and I think they will do extra due diligence to make sure that the person they send down to represent their district is, that can meet this higher standard," Bedke said.
Gov. Little will have 15 days to select one of the names provided by the committee.
Bedke also told KTVB that an investigation into allegations that Jane Doe was harassed after the hearing ended is already underway.
This is the second-straight Idaho Legislative session that has had one House member be expelled or nearly expelled. Last year, Rep. John Green (R-Post Falls) was expelled after he was convicted of defrauding the U.S. government.
Bedke believes the Idaho House responded appropriately in both cases.
"I think Idahoans should be somewhat heartened by the transparent way that the house has gone through this process," he said.