Liz Cheney to speak at Loeb School First Amendment event

Sep. 28—U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, whose independence has cost her the enmity of Donald Trump as well as her Republican Party leadership post, will be the featured speaker at the Nackey S. Loeb School's First Amendment Honors program in November.

The New Hampshire Institute of Politics will host the event with presenting sponsor People's United Bank at St. Anselm College.

Cheney, Wyoming's only congressional representative, is vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 post-election riot at the Capitol. Accepting that position, and her vote to impeach the former president, enraged Trump loyalists.

While Trump is backing a challenger in next year's Wyoming GOP primary, former President George W. Bush has announced that he will campaign for Cheney's reelection. Her appearance in the first presidential primary state is also likely to cause speculation about her future plans.

Cheney was featured Sunday night on CBS' "60 Minutes," which likened her to a "Lone Ranger riding out of the West," in defying Trump, who has called her a "bitter, horrible human being." She told the news program that the former president "doesn't believe in the rule of law."

Each year the Nackey S. Loeb School honors individuals or groups who have in some extraordinary way exercised or sought to protect the Constitution's First Amendment rights of free speech, assembly, press, religion or government petition.

Past recipients have included government whistleblowers, citizen activists, school board members, and newspapers. Last year's honoree, Keene State's Marianne Salcetti, led her journalism class in a successful Right-to-Know lawsuit before the state Supreme Court.

In a statement, Cheney said she was honored to participate.

"Protecting our First Amendment freedoms is at the heart of our responsibility as elected officials," she said. "I look forward to helping to recognize New Hampshire citizens and organizations who are working to defend those freedoms."

Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She is an attorney, wife and the mother of five. She has represented Wyoming since 2017. She joins a list of event speakers who have included Trump, President Joe Biden, the late U.S. Sen. John McCain and writer George Will. This is the first time the event will be hosted at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

"In recent times, no other American figure has been closer to the freedom afforded by the First Amendment than Rep. Cheney," institute executive director Neil Levesque told the Union Leader. "It is a testament to the Nackey Loeb School's national reach that she is coming to speak."

The event on Tuesday evening, Nov. 9, is an annual fundraiser for the non-profit communications school, which provides free classes and resources in a variety of subjects relating to communications. It was founded by Nackey Scripps Loeb, the late publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News.

A limited number of tickets and sponsorships remain for the event, which is still determining final in-person capacity based on prevailing COVID-19 conditions. For more information, visit www.loebschool.org, call 603-627-0005, or email loebschool@loebschool.org.