Criminal probe opened into former Idaho legislator

BOISE - The Idaho State Police have opened a potential criminal investigation into former state Sen. John McGee, who resigned from the Senate Wednesday amid sexual harassment charges. “ISP is currently conducting a preliminary investigation to determine if any criminal laws have been violated,” ISP Director Col. Jerry Russell told The Spokesman-Review today. Yesterday, Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, said he’d asked Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden to review the matter. Wasden personally reviewed the allegations against McGee and handed the case over to the Idaho State Police. “He determined it was appropriate to provide to ISP,” said Attorney General’s office spokesman Bob Cooper, who said Wasden met with ISP Director Russell yesterday afternoon to hand over the case. McGee, 39, resigned from the Senate yesterday in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment involving a female Senate staffer; he was the Senate Majority Caucus chairman, the fourth-highest leadership position in the Senate, and was a fourth-term Republican and former Transportation Committee chairman. He hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing, but resigned after being confronted with the allegations.