A Rape Allegation Roils Idaho Capitol

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.  State Representative Aaron von Ehlinger resigned last week.  This as he faced expulsion from the House.  He has been accused of a sexual assault by a 19-year-old legislative intern.  There has been no arrest and no indictment and the Boise Police Department is conducting an investigation.  The former Representative is allowed due process. 

Over the weekend his lawyer explained to me a great many people have already made up their minds about his client’s guilt or innocence.  As long as I can recall, this is fairly routine when it comes to public opinion.  However, it seems to me it’s heightened since the advent of social media.  Which means a great many people may not get a fair shake in the future.  We saw attempts to intimidate a jury in a recent homicide case in Minnesota.

Social media has also increased something called doxing or doxxing.  I found both spellings doing some research over the weekend.

State Representative Priscilla Giddings is accused of doxing von Ehlinger’s alleged victim.  I also touched base with Giddings over the weekend.  It appears she shared the initial police report in her weekly legislative update, which is mailed to thousands of subscribers.  It was a public record and in the early days of the investigation, the intern’s name was available.  I think this clouds the story even more and Giddings doesn’t look quite as mean-spirited as I thought she did last week.  Mainstream media won’t cut her any slack because she’s not a liberal but her clarification is an important element.

What was shocking was the mob that formed after the intern offered testimony last week at a legislative hearing.  Several people followed the young woman as she attempted to leave the Capitol.  They photographed her and attempted to humiliate the intern.  One newspaper account even says a TV crew was involved.  The station has had its Capitol access revoked.

If this is the future of our culture, we’re in serious trouble.