This is in response to an op-ed submitted to the Idaho Statesman by Steven Taggart, Idaho group hosted ‘journalist’ who flirts with Holocaust denial.
I have had the pleasure of working within the State of Idaho as an independent journalist for the last six years researching government institutions, non-profits and school districts.
On December 3, 2025, I spoke remotely to the organization Stand Up For Idaho, regarding recent public record requests I had conducted over the past few months exposing the inner workings and influences behind the 50 States, One Israel delegation, in which five Idaho legislators Rep. Rubel, Ehardt, Shirts, Skaug and Tanner, attended September 14-18, 2025, in Israel.
The 50 States, One Israel event was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel. Public records requests showed affiliations with the National Association of Jewish Legislators, Jewish Federations of North America, and the Idaho Israel Alliance. Read more below on records recovered via the Idaho legislature.
Israel Influence Op Targets American Legislators
The 50 States, One Israel delegation met in Israel September 14-18, 2025. This contingent consisted of 250 state legislators from all fifty states, five Id…
My work was noticed by Stand Up For Idaho and they requested I speak to their members regarding these connections and relationships. The content of the presentation largely focused on Idaho’s malicious harassment law, I spent maybe ten minutes discussing 50 States, One Israel delegation, including some emails I uncovered while investigating the Idaho legislature.
I also highlighted the failure of RS32552, aka the potential anti-Semitism bill sponsored by republican, Rep. Barbara Ehardt last legislative cycle.
Rep. Ehardt states this anti-Semitism bill would not interfere with rights or the first amendment as prescribed in the proposed routing slip. The fact that there is an enhancement for property or personal damage while using slurs, implies that there would be a penalty in any context - even in speaking. That would make the law a violation of first amendment rights.
RS32552 essentially references Idaho’s malicious harassment law passed in 1983, largely championed by former Idaho AG, and Idaho Supreme Court Justice, Jim Jones and the ad-hoc collective, the Citizens Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, which later became a non-profit rebranded the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment in 1987, whose members consisted of the ADL, B’nai, B’rith, Montana Human Rights Network, National Association and Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, and many others.
Under Idaho law, malicious harassment is a criminal offense that makes it unlawful for a person, maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass someone because of their race, color, religion, ancestry, or national origin, to cause physical injury, damage, destroy or deface another’s property, or threaten such actions when there’s reasonable cause to believe they will occur; “deface” expressly includes acts like cross-burnings or placing symbols associated with racial/religious/ethnic terrorism on another’s property without permission.
A conviction can result in up to five years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both, and the statute also provides a civil cause of action allowing victims to sue for damages, emotional distress, attorney fees, and punitive damages in addition to criminal penalties.
Last March, 2024, in downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, an 18 year old shouted a racial slur out the window of a vehicle at members of the University of Utah woman’s basketball team on Sherman Ave. during the NCAA Basketball Tournament being held in Spokane. There was a push to charge this young man with malicious harassment, but because he never injured anyone or damaged property while using a racial slur, the Kootenai County prosecutors office was unable to press charges.
EXCLUSIVE: Witness in University of Utah alleged harassment incident - 911 / bodycam statements obtained
There are a lot of questions surrounding the claim of malicious harassment by unknown assailants in the downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area on March 21, 2024. Witness Richard Moyer, a donor and reporting party of the alleged incident, with the University of Utah on the night of. University members were planning to stay at the Coeur d’Alene Resort for …
Interview by FBI agent Bryant Gunnerson regarding the potential hate crime of malicious harassment for using the word nigger, downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, March of 2024.
Right or wrong is beside the point, but that America is slowly becoming a war zone to govern free speech, like it or not.
Researching and exposing these issues have become volatile and ‘touchy subjects,’ the last few years since October 7. Some constituents in the State of Idaho see legislation such as Idaho Anti-Boycott Against Israel Act (SB1086 / Idaho Code § 67-2346), an extreme overreach.
The Anti-Boycott Against Israel Act - prohibits public entities from entering contracts with companies that engage in boycotts of goods and services from Israel or territories it controls.
The ACLU opposed SB1086, stating, ‘speech in support of a boycott encompasses the practice of people sharing common views banding together to achieve a common end--a practice deeply embedded in the American political process.’
These actions to chill free speech and freedom of association should give all Americans in Idaho pause, regardless of what or whom is attempting to influencing our government, but the mere fact that IT IS HAPPENING. It is not the job of the bureaucracy, to influence the behavior of the citizenry.
During my presentation at the Stand Up For Idaho speaking engagement, Representative Barbara Ehardt (R) of District 33A, was in attendance passing out flyers warning attendees that myself and colleague Dave Reilly as being anti-Semitic, racist, and that I comb my hair like Hitler. Really?
Writing a bill inhibiting free speech while in the same bill saying that they do not intend to inhibit free speech creates an ambiguity in the law. That’s not acceptable. We don’t need any laws that create a special class of people shielded from criticism.
My video rebuttal to the flyer handed out by Rep. Barbara Ehardt on December 3, 2025.
Real independent journalism has no boundaries in the pursuit of truth. All topics are worth exploring no matter the controversy, this is America after all.
Could you or someone post a complete list of the US representatives that went on this fully paid trip to Israel?
Is this like missing more content? Anyway. I read the naive hit-piece. You are a real hero. We need more people like you to run across the trenches for freedom of speech and hopefully motivate more to do likewise before it is too late.