Wyoming GOP Chairman, Working to Unseat Liz Cheney, is Oath Keeper Who Was at The Capitol on Jan. 6, New Report Details

The Caspar Star Tribune published a wide-ranging profile of W. Frank Eathorne, the chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party and arch-nemesis of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), on Friday.

The profile titled, “Wyo GOP chairman quietly assumed power as party fractured,” packs quite a punch despite its somewhat mild headline.

In the article, authors Victoria Eavis and Rone Tempest paint the picture of a political figure quickly on the ascent and enjoying his newfound power and connections within MAGA world.

“When the former president decided to appear in Casper at an upcoming Memorial Day weekend rally for Cheney opponent Harriet Hageman, Eathorne said Trump called him personally with the news,” the authors write. “Eathorne, a longtime Hageman friend and party ally, then informed the state central committee.”

Cheney and Trump-backed Hageman will square off on August 16th in the Wyoming GOP primary for Congress.

“Multiple people said the understanding amongst Wyoming politicos is that Eathorne revels in rubbing shoulders with Trump and Washington, D.C. elites,” the article notes.

While Eathorne has become more of a national figure — including appearances on Fox News — as the race for Wyoming’s sole Congressional seat has garnered attention because of Cheney’s high profile, he still maintains local connections. Some of those have been quite controversial.

“According to leaked documents, Eathorne is listed as a member of the Oath Keepers. Eathorne claims to be only a passive member of the militant right-wing organization,” the article notes. The Oath Keepers are a far-right anti-government militia active in the U.S. and have been linked to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and other acts of violence in the country.

“Cheney and others claim a band of political extremists has hijacked the state party,” the author’s write of Eathorne’s leadership of the Wyoming Republican Party.

In a statement for the article, Cheney said, “Frank Eathorne is a member of the Oath Keepers,” and added:

He was on the Capitol grounds during the violent attack on January 6. He has ignored the rulings of our courts. He has suggested Wyoming should consider secession from the United States.

His views and his actions make a mockery of the rule of law, the Constitution, and the values on which the Republican Party, the state of Wyoming, and our great nation were founded.

Eathorne sparked controversy in February 2021 in an interview on Steve Bannon’s influential WarRoom podcast when he suggested Wyoming secede from the union.

“We are straight talking, focused on the global scene, but we’re also focused at home. Many of these Western states have the ability to be self-reliant, and we’re keeping eyes on Texas too, and their consideration of possible secession. They have a different state constitution than we do as far as wording, but it’s something we’re all paying attention to,” Eathorne told Bannon, referencing Texas leaders suggesting secession.

“Eathorne clarified recently he did not mean to imply that Wyoming should secede,” the article notes of his comments.

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