By DAVE SCHULTZ
One of the three members of the Wells County Board of Commissioners has been identified in reports in a regional newspaper and across social media as being a member of the Oath Keepers organization.
Michael Vanover, who was chosen by a Republican caucus in early 2021 to be a county commissioner, was identified in a database uncovered by the Anti-Defamation League as being associated with the Oath Keepers. The ADL actually identified six Indiana office holders in a story that appeared in Saturday’s edition of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
Vanover returned a call for comment at about 9:25 p.m. Monday. When asked about the Oath Keepers report, he declined to talk about it.
“I’m not going to comment on this whole thing,” he said. “I’m just not going to.”
The Wells County Commissioners were due to have a special meeting Monday evening concerning funding for the new county highway garage. The meeting had to be called off Monday afternoon when two of the three commissioners — Vanover and Jeff Stringer — were not able to attend, denying the group a quorum for the meeting.
That meeting has been rescheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Wells County Annex, 223 W. Washington St. in Bluffton.
Stringer had said he would be out of town and County Auditor Lisa McCormick said Vanover was the other commissioner that would not attend.
Zach Rodgers, chair of the Wells County Republican Party, said in a text message that the party would have “no official comment at this time.”
Vanover, the president and CEO of Clean Fuels National of Keystone, was the selection of Republican precinct chairs to succeed Tamara Robbins as a commissioner. He is a candidate this fall for a full term on the Board of Commissioners.
The ADL, on its website, says there are six elected officials in Indiana connected to the Oath Keepers. The list includes nine members of law enforcement, three members of the military, and five first responders.
In all, the ADL says, there are 696 Oath Keepers sign-ups in Indiana.
The other five elected officials in Indiana are Michael Sweney, a member of the board of Root Township in Adams County; State Rep. Christopher Judy, R-Fort Wayne; Elkhart County Commissioner Bradley Dean Rogers; LaPorte County Commissioner Joe Haney; and Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel.
The ADL says on its website that the Oath Keepers claim that a shadowy government presence — often referred to as the New World Order — “has co-opted the federal government to strip Americans of their rights and ultimately enslave them.” The Oath Keepers
“However, the Oath Keepers differentiate themselves from other groups in the militia movement by explicitly targeting current and former members of the military, law enforcement, and emergency services personnel with their recruitment and messaging,” the ADL says. “Oath Keepers explain that if the federal government issues an unconstitutional order — often illustrated by extreme hypotheticals such as mass gun confiscation or illegally mass detaining Americans in concentration camps — it is up to the military and law enforcement to enforce these edicts. For this reason, the group tries to reach service members first, so they are prepared to refuse and resist such orders.
“Though Oath Keepers frame their objections in the language of constitutionality, these interpretations are typically not grounded in any legal basis and are warped by conspiratorial thinking; as a result, their objections typically boil down to simple opposition to particular laws or regulations.”
The ADL says 26 Oath Keepers have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 chaos at the U.S. Capitol.
The ADL says it is important to note that “an individual’s inclusion in the Oath Keeper database is not proof that they were or are still an Oath Keeper, that they hold or held all or some of Oath Keeper ideology or viewpoints, or that they ever actively participated in Oath Keeper activities.”
“When reviewing this information, you should bear in mind the possibility that the individual misunderstood the nature of the Oath Keepers. Before taking any action based on this information, an individualized assessment of the individual must take place.”
Several of the elected officials mentioned in national media reports have downplayed their involvement with the Oath Keepers.
Wells County Democrats, in an email from Dylan McIntosh, the party’s chair, is calling for Vanover to quit his post. In the email, the Democrat says that if an investigation shows Vanover and other elected officials are involved with what they call “this hate group,” those officials “should immediately resign from office.”
daves@news-banner.com
