James Vito Barbieri II, commonly known as Vito Barbieri, was born on October 22, 1951, in San Antonio, Texas. He is an American politician and lawyer from Idaho. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Education: Barbieri earned his associate degree from El Camino College and his bachelor’s degree and J.D. from Western State College of Law.
Career: He practiced law in California for 20 years. Since moving to Idaho in 2004, he has operated several small businesses, including a catering business and owns an electronic cigarette store in Post Falls.
Political Career: Barbieri has been serving as an Idaho State Representative since 2010. He represented District 3 in the A seat from 2010 to 2012, and District 2A from 2012 to 2022. Currently, he is representing District 3A since 2022.
Committee Assignments: Over the years, Barbieri has served on various committees. He was the chairman of the Business Committee and also served on the Local Government Committee, State Affairs Committee, and the Ethics Committee.
Elections: Barbieri has had a successful electoral career. He has won several elections, including the general election on November 8, 2022, to represent District 3A.
Controversies: Barbieri came to national attention on February 23, 2015, after asking a doctor giving testimony if a woman could swallow a camera in order to undergo a remote gynecological exam. He received the answer that such was not possible as swallowing a pill will not lead it to the vagina. In response to commentary on social media about the seeming anatomical confusion, he explained his remarks: “I was being rhetorical, because I was trying to make the point that equalizing a colonoscopy to this particular procedure was apples and oranges … So I was asking a rhetorical question that was designed to make her say that they weren’t the same thing, and she did so.”
