June 2, 2022 |
Donald Trump’s Save America rally in Casper appears to have lit a fire under Liz Cheney’s primary campaign bid.
After a slow and hushed start to what could be a barnburner of a primary, Cheney is launching a media campaign around Wyoming today in support of her re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Cheney has spent little money on radio in her past two campaigns. The radio ads, which will air here on KTGA and KDBY, hold back from attacking the former president, or Harriett Hageman, who the former president endorsed.
The theme of the ads, which are upbeat testimonials from state residents and Cheney loyalists, is that the congresswoman is fighting for Wyoming.
Cheney, who is seeking a fourth term, does not go negative in the ads. Nor has she responded publicly to any of the attacks against her Saturday in Casper attended by some 10,000 Trump fans. The former president held the rally in a show of support for Hageman, who he has endorsed in the race. Trump, for instance, called Cheney a “lap dog” for the left-wing California Democrat and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
While Cheney does not mention either Trump or Hageman in the ads that begin airing today, she is taking shots at their political allies in other venues. On Twitter she characterized comments made by the “Pillow Guy” Mike Lindell at Saturday’s rally about election fraud in Wyoming as “lunacy.” Lindell told The Cowboy State Daily that voting machines in Wyoming stole votes from Trump. According to the report, the Minnesota businessman, who has spent a small fortune researching possible machine level fraud in all 50 states, said that “Wyoming had some 20-some thousand votes stolen” from Trump. The report did not say how. Lindell is seeking an injunction in Arizona to count ballots by hand, and promised similar legal action in Wyoming, according to the report.
Cheney also received support on another front from NBC News in Washington, D.C. A network report filed on May 29, one day after the Casper rally, states that Frank Eathorne was photographed on restricted grounds during the January 6th incident at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Eathorne is the head of the Wyoming Republican Party, which censured Cheney last year and no longer recognizes her as a Republican.
Cheney is one of two House Republicans, handpicked by Pelosi, who sit on the committee looking into the controversial events of that day.
At Saturday’s rally in Casper, Trump recognized both Lindell and Eathorne by name. The former president said that if he runs for president in 2024 he would put Lindell in charge of buying television advertising.
The applause for a possible Trump run lasted as long as the average TV commercial, 30 seconds. Trump also thanked Eathorne. The GOP head put Cheney’s actions in Congress under harsh light. He has also worked to build support for Hageman in the primary.
The NBC report, written by “justice reporter” Ryan J. Reilly, states that images and videos unearthed by a shadowy group that calls itself the “Sedition Hunters” show Eathorne on restricted grounds on the west side of the Capitol after police barricades were removed. The NBC report refers to the group Eathorne was with as a “mob” that was chanting “Stop the Steal.”
Cheney’s role in the Democrat-controlled investigation into the events of January 6th led to her censure by fellow House Republicans this year. Cheney has been hard on the protestors that day but has not raised questions about reports that undercover federal security agents may have acted as “provocateurs,” smashing windows, removing barriers and inciting otherwise peaceful protestors to riot. Trump said the characterization of January 6th as an insurrection is a political hoax meant to demonize him and his supporters.
Trump called for the release of all of the video surveillance footage from inside and outside the Capitol Building. The January 6th committee has reviewed only part of the footage. It has released only footage that has supported its narrative that protestors stage an insurrection. Other footage shows people inside behaving like tourists.
During Hageman’s speech at Saturday’s convention, the Fort Laramie attorney took a different view of what happened at the Capitol than either her opponent or the NBC news bureau in Washington.
“Gaslight” is another term for lying.
The release of the first round of Cheney ads following the Trump/Hageman rally in Casper Saturday is likely no coincidence. The purchase orders went out to stations late Wednesday afternoon with an urgent request to start airing on Thursday. As Trump noted Saturday, the U.S. House race in Wyoming is the most important in the country for the upcoming mid-term election. It has attracted more campaign donations from outside Wyoming than from in-state voters. Cheney is beginning to spend her war chest in what may be the first real fight of her political life.
