Politico correspondent Olivia Beavers obtained audio from Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney's campaign that contradicts a claim made by her opponent Harriet Hageman that Cheney did not concede her primary after losing earlier this week.
Hageman—who has received former Republican President Donald Trump's endorsement—had lied when she claimed Cheney said “Hello, Harriet” and hung up, leaving "a very brief two-second message on my cellphone” but no actual concession.
Cheney's campaign released audio of the call to Politico and it's evident Hageman was not telling the truth.
Cheney can clearly be heard leaving the following message:
Hi, Harriet, Liz Cheney calling. It is about 8:13 on Tuesday the 16th. I’m calling to concede the election and congratulate you on the win. Thanks. Bye Bye.”
You can hear the audio below.
Beavers later updated her followers, noting she had spoken to Cheney who'd told her she'd left a "clear and direct" voicemail for Hageman before taking the stage to officially deliver her concession speech.
Cheney said she'd tried several times to speak directly to Hageman but to no avail.
Hageman's campaign was harshly criticized for lying since the Cheney campaign's audio was released.
Hageman's spokesperson attempted to counter the Cheney campaign's audio by releasing video to Politico of Hageman listening to the message for two seconds before the sound appears to cut off.
Cheney conceded defeat just as The Associated Press called the race for Hageman. The Trump pick backed Trump's lies the 2020 presidential election was stolen in stark contrast to Cheney, who was scorned by her own party because of her refusal to accept—let alone parrot—Trump's "Big Lie."
In her speech, Cheney acknowledged "Hageman has received the most votes in this primary" but hit back at falsehoods she spread, saying the United States "cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.”
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