Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liz Cheney attacks Trump’s ‘poisonous lies’ in ad ahead of likely primary defeat

Cheney trails opponent by significant margin in polling

John Bowden
Friday 12 August 2022 01:31 EDT
Comments
Liz Cheney ad calls out opponents' stance on the 'Big Lie'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney is out with her closing argument of the 2022 primary season as she heads for a likely defeat in the coming week.

The vice chair of the Jan 6 committee denounced the “poisonous lies” about the US’s elections systems that Donald Trump and his allies have spread since his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden and blamed them for “preying” on patriotic Americans.

The release of the ad comes as Ms Cheney is almost certain to lose her primary election against Harriet Hageman on Tuesday.

A poll released on Thursday by the University of Wyoming had Ms Cheney down almost 30 points to her challenger, an almost unheard-of margin for an incumbent.

If the final margin of her defeat is anywhere close to that result, it will signify just how strong Mr Trump’s hold over the GOP continues to be.

“History has shown us over and over again how these types of poisonous lies destroy free nations,” the Wyoming Republican can be heard saying in the ad.

“America cannot remain free if we abandon the truth. The lie that the 2020 presidential election is insidious. It preys on those who love their country,” she continues.

Ms Cheney is one of only two Republicans serving on the House select committee to investigate the Jan 6 insurrection after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled the rest of his nominations from the panel in response to Democrats refusing to seat two members he had submitted.

Her GOP counterpart on the panel, Rep Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, has declined to even stand for reelection this year for fear of facing a Trump-backed primary challenge of his own.

Ms Cheney is thought to be laying the groundwork for a future presidential bid and has refused to rule out such ambitions in interviews with journalists.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in