Liz Cheney, running for Senate in Wyoming to oust incumbent Republican Senator Mike Enzi, champions her role in conservative media as a political asset. On her campaign website, she touts her experience in the media bringing “attention to the threats to liberty posed by the Obama administration.”
For a part-time position, Cheney has been paid handsomely: her recently filed candidate disclosure form shows that she received $281,587 from Fox News. In July of this year, Fox ended the contract given Cheney’s bid for office.
Her other sources of income also stem from communications. Assorted speaking fees honoraria and a book advance associated with the book she wrote with her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, resulted in an additional $640,950 in income.
While Liz Cheney has been in the news this week after being rebuked by her sister, Mary Cheney, over her opposition to gay marriage, the disclosure also shows that Liz has been associated with Mary’s consulting firm, Yellowstone Associates, through 2011.
Cheney is not the only candidate to pass through the revolving door between the Republican Party and well-paid positions with Fox News. Disclosures show Rick Santorum was paid $239,153 as a part-time contributor before he ran for president in 2011. Mark Sanford, before he won his special election for a House seat in South Carolina, was paid $130,000 by the network.
Cheney’s campaign had asked for an extension earlier this year for the disclosure that appeared today through the Senate ethics office. The extension was granted, but was due on November 14th. Records show the mailing was received on November 19th. Her attorney comes from Holtzman Vogel, a law firm that has represented a number of GOP campaigns and secret money groups, including Americans for Prosperity.
This post first appeared at The Nation and is reposted here with permission.
Lee Fang is a reporting fellow with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute, now known as Type Investigations, now known as Type Investigations.