Commentator endorses McGeachin for governor

BOISE — A right-wing commentator with links to white supremacy groups, antisemitism and Islamophobia has endorsed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin to be Idaho’s next governor, according to a news release from McGeachin’s campaign office.

Michelle Malkin, a former Fox News contributor, has been tied to anti-Muslim groups ACT for America and the Center for Security Policy, published books defending World War II internment camps and racial profiling in the U.S., and has been a regular contributor to a Canadian white supremacist website for two decades. Malkin has also taken heat from conservative groups over her support for a well-known Holocaust denier.

In her endorsement, Malkin applauded McGeachin’s clashes with other Idaho Republicans. Gov. Brad Little has not announced his run for reelection as governor but is actively campaigning and raising money.

“She’s got guts,” Malkin said. “McGeachin has taken unapologetic action against (Gov. Brad) Little and state GOP elites repeatedly for their routine capitulation on education policy, medical freedom, and law and order.”

In Wednesday’s news release, McGeachin said she was “honored to receive this endorsement and the support from such an important voice in the conservative movement.” The release described Malkin as a “freedom fighter.”

Malkin also praised the lieutenant governor for the creation of a task force that looked for indoctrination in Idaho schools as “others sat on their hands.”

McGeachin last year created the task force to look into unsubstantiated claims of indoctrination in Idaho schools. During the task force’s four meetings, members heard primarily from those who supported its claims and ended its last meeting with a set of vague recommendations.

After losing a public records lawsuit, McGeachin was forced to release communication the task force had received from the public, which overwhelmingly rejected her efforts.

Malkin’s ties to controversial groups

During her time on Fox News and conservative television station CRTV, Malkin has argued anti-Muslim and antisemitic talking points. Malkin has counted Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes — the group was instrumental in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot — and anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer as friends. According to Georgetown University, Malkin used her platform on Fox News to propagate conspiracy theories on Muslims and immigrants.

The daughter of Filipino immigrants, Malkin told C-SPAN in 2002 that “citizenship in this country is an absolute privilege, and it ought not to be treated as some sort of natural right or entitlement. But over the years, our immigration system has abandoned that principle.”

Last week Malkin was banned from Airbnb for attending a gathering with American Renaissance — a known white nationalist organization — in November in Nashville, Tennessee, where she had rented lodging through the online platform. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Renaissance was founded by noted white supremacist Jared Taylor, who in 2005 said that “Blacks and whites are different. When Blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western civilization — any kind of civilization — disappears.”

In a tweet last week, McGeachin defended Malkin.

“I stand with Michelle Malkin,” McGeachin said on Twitter. “Freedom of speech in this country is under attack and I’m tired of watching people in power stand by and let it happen.”

Former President Donald Trump in November endorsed McGeachin and called her a “true supporter of MAGA since the very beginning.”

The Idaho Statesman has reached out to McGeachin’s office and campaign for comment on Malkin’s extremist ties.