United States: Arizona’s top prosecutor is investigating whether comments made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump about former GOP lawmaker Liz Cheney comprise a criminal threat. Speaking at an Arizona rally, Trump called Cheney a “radical war hawk” and suggested that, “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there, with nine barrels shooting at her. Let’s see how she feels about it, you know when the guns are trained on her face.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, reacted by launching an inquiry into whether Trump’s words qualify as a death threat under state law. Mayes stated that, “I have already requested my criminal division chief to start glancing at that statement,” emphasising that the legal question hinges on whether Trump’s information is protected free speech or crosses into criminal territory. She added that, “It’s deeply troubling. It is the kind of thing that outrages people up, and that makes our situation in Arizona and other states more dangerous.”
Cheney, a former Republican representative and vocal Trump critic, has supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for president, labelling Trump “a danger.” Harris reacted to Trump’s remarks, asserting that his rhetoric “disqualifies him” for the presidency. Harris stated that, “Anyone who wants to be president of the United States who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is disqualified and unqualified to be president.”
A Trump spokesperson supported the comments, arguing they were misinterpreted. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that, “President Trump is 100 percent correct that warmongers like Liz Cheney are quick to start wars and send others to fight them.”
At a separate rally in Michigan, Trump escalated his critique to include Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, blaming him for the “war on terror” and involvement in the Middle East. Trump alleged that Dick Cheney, as former CEO of Halliburton, aided the wars in the region, accusing him of “killing a big portion of the Middle East.” Both Trump and Harris held rallies in Wisconsin as their campaigns made a final push in the swing state.
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