MT: DUI No Big Deal For Idaho Pols
In an editorial today, Lewiston Tribune opinionator Marty Trillhaase writes of Idaho's tolerance for officials involved in drunken driving (as state Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell was Sunday). Among others who were cited for DUI and survived:
- Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter got arrested for driving drunk in 1992 and famously tried to pin the blame on chewing tobacco he soaked in whiskey. A 1993 jury didn't buy it. Otter went on to win re-election as lieutenant governor, then 1st District congressman and two terms as governor.
- Former congressional staffer and budget analyst Josh Tewalt was arrested for drunken driving three times between 2002 and 2006. He's now serving as the deputy chief of the Idaho Bureau of Prisons.
- Jeff Malmen served as a top aide to Govs. Phil Batt, Dirk Kempthorne and Otter. He was arrested for DUI in November. He now works as vice president for public affairs at Idaho Power Co.
- Former state Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, was stopped for DUI in 1999. He continued to serve until retiring from office in 2010. Full editorial here.
Question: Why are we so tolerant of DUIs from our elected and appointed officials?
