More than a year after Wyoming’s Rep. Harriet Hageman rode to victory on the wave of former president Donald Trump’s popularity among Republicans, her support for the 2024 hopeful remains unfailing.
Hageman, along with 67 of her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, cosponsored a resolution expressing the belief that former President Donald Trump didn’t engage in “insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. The resolution was introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s sponsored by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Trump supporter who visited Cheyenne in 2021 to speak against the reelection of former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a critic of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
The resolution consists of only two sentences:
“Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that former President Donald J. Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or give aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
“Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that former President Donald J. Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or give aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
Trump is facing numerous criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In Wyoming, rather than shy away from the controversy of Jan. 6, the far right of the Republican Party is using the political and legal fallout from that day to propel their candidates into the 2024 elections. On Jan. 6 of this year, for example, the Campbell County GOP invited a former New Mexico politician who was convicted for trespassing on restricted grounds at the U.S. Capitol on the day of the riots to speak at a fundraiser. Campbell County GOP Chairman Scott Clem told WyoFile that he had hoped the buzz of inviting a Jan. 6 figure would draw more people to the fundraiser and result in more money.
Hageman, for her part, has described efforts to investigate Trump as “illegitimate” and a “witch hunt.”
Resolutions don’t hold much power but are meant to simply express a stance on an issue. What’s more, given the composition of lawmakers in the U.S. House, where Republicans hold a thin margin and are bitterly divided, the resolution may not go anywhere.
But Hageman’s support of the resolution comes as no surprise. She’s enthusiastically backed been an ardent public supporter of Trump since she won his endorsement in 2021. And in a year when Hageman is up for reelection to the U.S. House, signaling her unfailing support for Trump could boost her standing among her base.
Hageman wasn’t always a Trump supporter. She was wary of him when he ran for president in 2016 and backed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination instead. Hageman even joined other Republicans in an attempt to thwart Trump’s nomination at the time of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Politico reported.
But around 2018, Hageman’s public stance toward Trump began to shift, according to the Casper Star-Tribune. Then, in 2021, Trump endorsed Hageman as his pick to oust former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who had drawn Trump’s ire after she voted to impeach him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Since then, Hageman has unfailingly supported — and defended — Trump.
She was the first of Wyoming’s congressional delegates to champion support his 2024 presidential bid when he announced his candidacy in November 2022, saying that she was “thrilled” that he would be running again and describing him as “the best president for Wyoming” in her lifetime. (Wyoming’s Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso endorsed Trump last month.) She’s also defended Trump in his numerous legal cases and lambasted the Jan. 6 committee, which in December 2022 referred charges against Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol to the U.S. Justice Department.
Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman, was the vice chair of that committee. Hageman soundly defeated her in 2022 after Republicans in Wyoming soured on Cheney for her frequent criticisms of the former president.
I have no doubt that Benedict Donald had no intention of interfering with the insurrectionists on Jan. 6 until he realized they were not going to be successful. If that is the case then he is absolutely guilty of a dereliction of duty which disqualifies him from the office of President of the US since that would mean he would be Commander in Chief.
If Clyde Barrow had gone to trial, he could have used the Trump defense. Organize a bunch of bank robbers (chumps), give them the location of a bank, a plan to rob the bank, encourage them by giving a fiery speech, tell them you’ll be with them, then send them off, while you stay out of the bank. Then claim your innocence because you never set foot in the bank.
If Representative Hagemann believes that former President Trump didn’t participate in an insurrection, HE DID PROVIDE COMFORT AND SUPPORT; as quoted in the 14th amendment of the Constitution, “or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” Rep. Hagemann, please read your Constitution before supporting an accused violator of the 14th amendment.
What part of the the 14th Amendment did the Supreme Court not understand? We used to be a country of law, but now the judicial system works around whether or not Trump’s minions will start a war. We don’t want to upset the wild-life. Trump shouldn’t be on any ballot – he should be in jail. Anyone who is lying and covering for him should be there with him.
Horse Puckies!!!
Pure unadulterated Bull Puckies. Not only is this a lie and completely false statement there are still huge gaps in who did what prior to the to January 6th 2021. Who and what communications took place between the Proud Boys and other groups through Roger Stone and some of the other member of Congress. We still do not know completely what took place in a meeting between sane and insane members a few days prior to January 6th that screaming and insults where passed around like gentle conversation at a Bounty sisters tea party. This lead to resignation of people not will to risk their jobs for illegal and treasonous actions by a hard core bunch of authoritarian minions of TRUMP that hated the US Constitution. It clear she has little knowledge and cares little about what took place that day. This had never took place in the history of this country and it was clear exactly what it was!
Hagemen is ( allegedly ) a lawyer. Does she even realize she probably perjured herself by denying Trump’s culpability in the face of the facts ?
I guess autocrat-icy is contagious, long live the king. Or Queen in this case.
I am embarrased to have Hageman associated with our State
For those of us who are military or law enforcement professionals, what we saw on 6 January 2021 in Washington DC was:
1. Trump giving an incendiary speech to a crowd of hundreds inciting violence to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden’s legitimate election as President of the United States.
2. That crowd of hundreds marching on the US Capitol to carry out Trump’s orders.
3. Violent, armed assaults on the Capitol and the police officers courageously guarding the Capitol.
4. A search for specific members of Congress to do them harm, even to death, to include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
5. A search for Vice President Mike Pence to do him harm, even to death (“hang Mike Pence”!) and prevent him from exercising his Constitutional duty as President of the Senate to confirm Biden as President-elect.
6. And, extensive vandalism to the grounds and the interior of the Capitol.
In short, what we as military or law enforcement professionals saw was an insurrection as defined by the laws of the United States as well as by military history.
Anyone who says the events of 6 January 2021 were not an insurrection, and any one who says the extensive planning that went into the events of 6 January was not an illegal conspiracy to overthrow the Government of the United States, is either a fool or a liar. Probably both.
Might I add what many have noted that Trump provided ‘aide and comfort” to the insurrectionists by delaying any assistance to the Capital Police, doing nothing to try and stop the insurrection for hours, telling them he “loved them” and making statements about them receiving pardons. I believe this was a large part of Maine’s decision to remove him from the ballot.
I totally agree Trump did not engage in the insurrection, he organized it ,he did want to be a part of it but the secret security took him away ,that’s so unfortunate.
So, snow isn’t white anymore either. We know what he did. Saying snow is blue doesn’t make it blue but many people will still think it is.
And Ball’aams donkey (Gordon) spake.
Hageman will probably get a valentines card from Trump. She knows the resolution will go nowhere, but her love affair with Trump continues.
An embarrassment. She clearly would support a resolution stating that black is white, or the sun rises in the west, if she thought it would aid her political ambitions.
Ain’t that so.
All three of our “reps” are dishonest and Trump acolytes, but Hageman is the absolute worst. A true disgrace to Wyoming.
Gordon. There are no “honest” politicians. The corruption just gets deeper the higher up the food chain they go. Politics is criminal training ground
Your “all of the above” approach is disingenuous. Your previous comments show that you don’t care about good governing. You only care about keeping in line with the chrump hyperbole and nonsense. Gullible repubs should try to do better.
Some are much more dishonest and corrupt than others though. Saying all are dishonest white washes the problem.
I refuse to believe all politicians are corrupt. You have to be careful about who you vote for.