Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jurisdiction Federal State topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Idaho committee introduces resolution saying federal pardon of Dr. Fauci would not bar state prosecution
Summary
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted to introduce RS 32,005, a resolution asserting that a federal pardon for Dr. Anthony Fauci would not prevent state criminal proceedings. Representative Tanner presented the measure; the committee voted to send it to the second-reading calendar with two members recorded as voting no.
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday introduced RS 32,005, a nonbinding resolution saying a presidential pardon for Dr. Anthony Fauci would not shield him from state criminal investigations or prosecutions.
Representative Tammy Tanner, who presented the resolution, told the committee the measure is intended to clarify the separation of federal and state jurisdiction. "This resolution deals with Doctor Fauci and his pardon, for his federal crimes," Tanner said during her opening remarks.
Tanner asserted in committee that a federal pardon "does not affect legal proceedings, investigations and potential prosecution for state crimes under the authority of state government." She also criticized Fauci's pandemic-era policies and their local effects; those criticisms were framed as Tanner's opinion in committee.
Representative Skogg asked whether Tanner had evidence of state crimes; Tanner said she had not seen specific cases brought forward and noted that local counties would be positioned to pursue criminal cases more readily than the state. "A lot of people will try to get the attorney general to want to go after it. That does take legislative action from this body if that's something that we would want to go from," Tanner said, adding that counties would have "the most say and be able to take up those criminal cases easiest." That comment was offered as an explanation of jurisdictional practicalities, not as a finding of criminal conduct.
A motion to introduce RS 32,005 and send it to the second-reading calendar with a do-pass recommendation was made and the committee carried the motion. Two members were recorded as voting no: Representative Achilles and Representative Morley. The motion text, introduction status, and the recorded no votes were entered into the committee record.
RS 32,005 is a nonbinding resolution; the committee did not vote on any criminal charges or order any investigation. Any state criminal action would require separate investigative steps and formal filings by the appropriate prosecuting authorities.
Notes: the resolution as presented references a presidential pardon and asserts a separate state jurisdiction for state-level crimes; it does not allege specific state charges in the committee record.
