Party leaders comment on recent actions by Barrasso, Hageman

CHEYENNE — Was U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., justified in chasing down former U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at the Republican National Convention, days after former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated?

Was Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman’s description of Vice President Kamala Harris as a “DEI hire” a full-blown racist comment?

Nearly a dozen Wyoming Republican and Democratic political candidates and party leaders weighed in on the recent actions and comments by two of the Cowboy State’s three federal lawmakers, both of whom are up for reelection this year.

In a video interview posted Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Hageman is seen calling Harris a “DEI hire,” a remark that’s sparked widespread criticism from the Democratic Party. Hageman said in the interview that Harris is “intellectually at the bottom of the barrel” and criticized the vice president for her handling of the southern border.

“I think she was a DEI hire,” Hageman said. “And I think that’s what we’re seeing, and I just don’t think that they have anybody else.”

The Wyoming Democratic Party didn’t waste time in condemning the state’s only member of the House of Representatives on her “racist remarks.” In a news release, the Cowboy State’s liberal party demanded that Hageman issue an apology.

“It took only three days for Harriet Hageman to disgrace herself on national television by launching a reprehensible and racist attack on Vice President Kamala Harris,” the party said in the release. “Her baseless and offensive remarks, suggesting that Vice President Harris is stupid, unqualified, and a ‘DEI hire,’ are not only false, but also represent the thread of racism that has become common among right-wing extremists.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson and other prominent GOP leaders recently warned party members against the use of racist and sexist attacks on Harris, an AP article reported, when news of politicians calling Harris a “DEI hire” began to circulate. DEI is an acronym referring to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Just a week earlier, footage of Barrasso was also posted on X. In the video, Barrasso and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., are seen shouting at Secret Service Director Cheatle at the RNC, demanding answers to why security nearly failed to protect Trump at a Pennsylvania rally a few days prior.

The attack resulted in the death of one attendee, and there was a bipartisan call for the former director to step down from her position. Cheatle announced her resignation the day after she was subpoenaed to a congressional hearing.

Demanding answers

Barrasso told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in an emailed statement that Cheatle held a call with all 100 U.S. senators regarding the July 13 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. He said she “only read talking points” instead of answering their questions.

“(She) cut off a large majority of us who are working to get to the bottom of this tragic event,” Barrasso said. “A former president almost died. We lost the life of an American patriot. Director Cheatle owed the American people answers.”

When it was learned Cheatle would be at the RNC, Barrasso said he and other federal lawmakers “decided to speak with her in person.” However, the former director “refused” their offer to go somewhere quiet to answer their questions, according to Barrasso.

“Instead of speaking with us, she fled,” he said.

Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Joe Barbuto said the U.S. senator’s behavior, chasing after Cheatle at the RNC, was an “embarrassment.”

“I don’t think there’s ever an excuse for a United States senator to act like a spoiled brat,” Barbuto said.

U.S. Senate candidate Reid Rasner, one of two Republican challengers for Barrasso’s seat, also criticized the incumbent for being “an embarrassment.” Wyomingites and Americans deserve a voice in Washington, D.C., Rasner said, who focuses on pushing good policies, rather than pulling “a publicity stunt.”

“Chasing the Secret Service agent around was very childish,” Rasner said.

However, several Wyoming Republicans were sympathetic to Barrasso’s actions, saying it was justified, given the emotional charge of the event.

Even Laramie County Democratic Party Chairman Jordan Evans said it’s understandable Barrasso would be frustrated with the former Secret Service director, considering Trump was nearly killed and an attendee died during the shooting.

“There are some very serious questions surrounding the protection of the former president,” Evans said. “It is certainly a senator’s right to want to question any public servant about their role in allowing something like that to occur.”

However, “there’s a time and place” for such interrogation, Evans said. As the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, Evans said, Barrasso “should have known better than to lose his cool.”

U.S. House of Representatives candidate Steven Helling, Hageman’s sole Republican challenger, said the assassination attempt on Trump was “horrific.” He said there needs to be “more understanding and flexibility” in how Republican party members, such as Barrasso, responded in the situation.

“Someone died in this attack,” Helling said. “I think emotions are high, so I am not going to criticize Dr. Barrasso.”

Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who chairs the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, said he didn’t see the video, but fully supported Barrasso’s actions.

“When somebody has a performance failure like (Cheatle) had, and is not terminated by the executive, that is just a blatant example of putting politics above performance,” Bear said.

‘Buzzword’ or ‘racist statement’?

There’s been a national movement spurred by the Republican Party to remove DEI programs from universities and hiring processes, and Wyoming was not immune to it. The state Legislature passed a footnote in the budget earlier this year to defund the University of Wyoming’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the office was dissolved by UW officials in May.

Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed language in the second part of the footnote that would ban all DEI-related programs, citing concerns it would cost the university millions of dollars in lost federal research grants.

When Hageman called Harris a “DEI hire” in the interview, some speculated that it was less of a derogatory remark and more of her using a “buzzword” popular among the right-wing base.

“They’re just capitalizing on the current buzzword in conservative political circles,” Evans said.

The county’s Democratic leader said this points to the right-wing message that “there is no merit to the idea” people face challenges due to their racial and ethnic identity. It’s the same accusation that people from minority communities are “exaggerating” or “inventing” their problems, Evans said.

He didn’t want to comment on whether the statement made by Hageman was racist, since it isn’t clear what her motivation was behind the comment.

“It’s inappropriate, regardless of its intention,” Evans said. “It does a lot to undermine the work that Vice President Harris has done throughout her long career as a public servant, and in the historic position that she’s held as an elected official for the United States of America.”

Laramie County GOP Chairman Taft Love also doubted Hageman meant for the comment to be derogatory. Instead, he believed the congresswoman wanted to highlight “identity politics” used by the Democratic Party when selecting their political candidates.

“They’re trying to use (Harris’) ethnicity and her background socially, to promote her into the next president of the United States,” Love said. “And that’s not why we hire a president. We hire a president because of their ability to do good for the U.S. people.”

However, other Wyoming Democrats were still highly critical of the DEI remark. Hageman’s sole Democratic challenger, Kyle Cameron, said the comment was “absolutely sad” and “disgusting.”

“She honestly comes off as a racist,” Cameron said.

Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Scott Morrow said Hageman’s comment was “cynical,” “disgusting” and “borderline evil.” He said Wyoming is the Equality State, and Hageman’s remark goes against what “equality” means.

“I’ll say it, I’ll use the racism card,” Morrow said. “I call it like I see it, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.”

However, some Republican politicians applauded Hageman’s comment.

Bear said Hageman’s statement resonates with a majority of people, “especially the people of Wyoming.”

In response to criticism, mostly from Democrats, that the congresswoman’s comment was racist, Bear said this only proved the “point that the Democrat Party is focused on race, rather than merit.”

“Focusing on people’s skin color, rather than their capability is what’s gotten us into this trouble,” Bear said. “It’s been very divisive amongst the races and amongst different classes of people. And it’s typical of the Democrat Party to attempt to divide.”

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John Holtz said Hageman was within her rights to express her opinion. Holtz said he also believed Harris “is one of the worst picks we could possibly have for office.”

“We certainly need to be more civil,” Holtz said. “But we should not abandon the right’s stance on every particular issue. I think we need to be bold in a time of crisis.”

Spokespeople from Hageman’s campaign said the congresswoman was unavailable for an interview after the WTE reached out for comment. However, Hageman did send an emailed statement.

“Joe Biden said he was going to hire a black female, and that’s what he did,” Hageman said. “Take it up with him.”

Bipartisan call for civility

It’s no secret that American politics have become increasingly polarized. But if there is one thing some Democratic and Republican party leaders can agree on, it’s a need for civil discourse between the two parties.

“We need to make sure we’re basing our comments on fact-based information and not on racial slurs,” Love said. “We need to focus on fact because the people need us to be focused on fact, and we have to get back to doing the business of the people.”

Evans said there is responsibility on all sides of the political spectrum “to bring the temperature down,” adding that there’s a noticeable lack of civil discourse among federal lawmakers.

“Everyone is human on all sides of every issue,” Evans said. “Nobody deserves to be killed, harassed or demeaned in any way, no matter who they are or what they believe.”

For Bear, however, the divisive nature of today’s politics “is nothing compared to different periods we’ve had in the past.”

“Rather than seeking unity, this is a time for the country to seek moral clarity about many issues,” Bear said. “It’s because of that moral divide between different groups in our country that we have this disunity.”