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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

How many DeVos calls? Neither Idaho senator will say

Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch received numerous calls, mostly negative ones, before both voted in favor of confirming Betsy DeVos’s nomination as education secretary, the Idaho Statesman reports, but neither will say how many called. “It isn’t available and we’re not going to release those numbers,” Risch Chief of Staff John Sandy said Tuesday, adding that members of Congress are not required to release such information. Robert Sumner, Crapo’s press secretary, was similarly circumspect, writes Statesman reporter Bill Dentzer.

“We will not release the call and mail tallies regarding the DeVos nomination because the precise number of Idahoans cannot be determined due to outside area codes and those who do not leave contact information,” Sumner said in a statement. You can read Dentzer’s full report here.

DeVos was confirmed Feb. 7 in an unprecedented 51-50 vote, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie. Both of Idaho’s senators joined all but two of their Republican colleagues in supporting her appointment.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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