Opinion: Who should you believe? The Sarasota GOP or your lying eyes

Let's set the record straight, here and now: Liz Cheney was never honored in 2017 as the Republican Party of Sarasota County’s first "Stateswoman of the Year."

Of course, the RPOSC will also tell you Siesta Key is a ski slope.

This month, the RPOSC will be honoring Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, and a press release claims she is the organization’s "first Stateswoman of the Year."

But wait a minute. Wasn't Liz Cheney, the Congresswoman from Wyoming, the "first?" Not according to a statement released by the fine folks at the RPOSC. Here's what it said:

"Liz Cheney never was recognized as a Stateswoman of the Year award winner. There is no confusion on this point by people familiar with facts. She was not interested in the award, did not accept it, and never showed up for the ceremony. Her father, however, Dick Cheney, was the winner, which is why he is listed and has a banner in our gallery of winners, and Liz does not. Because she never won and never had the award. Ever.

"Any column trying to undercut First Lady Casey DeSantis as our first Stateswoman of the Year winner is materially wrong and will be seen by the majority of the community as just another reason why trust in the media is bouncing along at all-time lows.”

Well, let me "bounce" the first sentence of that statement off you, the one that says "Liz Cheney never was recognized as a Stateswoman of the Year award winner."

Let's go back to the original press release from 2017. Here's what it says:

"The Republican Party of Sarasota has set Jan. 19 as the new date for RPOS dinner and celebration for the 2017 Statesman of the Year and first Stateswoman of the Year."

"Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, have been named the Party's 2017 winners. The Cheneys join a powerful list of previous winners, including President Donald Trump (twice), U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Fox News host Sean Hannity and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

"We are thrilled to announce the Cheneys as our Statesman and Stateswoman winners," said (former) RPOS Chairman Joe Gruters. "They are providing multigenerational leadership to our nation and represent the traditional, conservative values our party stands for."

Here's the best part. Do you know who the media contact was on that 2017 press release? Jack Brill. He was the RPOSC vice chairman at the time. The press release includes Brill's email address and phone number. It would not be out of line to assume Brill even wrote the press release announcing both awards. He would have at least read the release before it went out with his name on it.

Brill is currently the chairman of the RPOSC. He's the guy who put out the statement this week saying Liz Cheney was never a winner of the award … and blaming the media, of course. After all, who can trust those conniving vultures and jackals to tell the truth?

Herald-Tribune political editor Zac Anderson, as thorough a reporter as there is, wrote a story in January 2018 after the award dinner at the Hyatt. Here's part of what he wrote: "(Dick) Cheney was honored as the Sarasota’s GOP's Statesman of the Year and his daughter was Stateswoman of the Year. Liz Cheney also was scheduled to appear at Friday's event but she had to stay in Washington, D.C., because of fighting over a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded."

The first Stateswoman: Dick Cheney recounts lifetime of public service at Sarasota GOP event

First Lady up next: Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis to receive Sarasota GOP stateswoman award

More: Anderson: Donald Trump, Sarasota's 'Statesman of the Year'

Here's the very best part: Anderson's story was accompanied by a Herald-Tribune photo. It is of Dick Cheney sitting in a chair and talking to the crowd. Above his head is a large banner proclaiming him "Statesman of the Year."

Next to Dick Cheney's banner is a banner honoring Liz Cheney for being "Stateswoman of the Year."

Seriously, these guys are the best.

I mean, there is an actual photo, and they still lie. And it's not just a lie either. It's how they lie in such a smug fashion. That's the worst part. Who are you going to believe? The RPOSC or your lying eyes?

If Liz Cheney did not want the award and refused to come to Sarasota because she did not want to accept it, then why hang the banner on stage at all? And do you really think she is going to turn down the same award her father accepted? What could she possibly have against the Republican Party of Sarasota County? Who knows if she has even heard of Sarasota? The RPOSC is kind of overinflating its own sense of worth, don't you think?

And speaking of overinflated worth …

There is an obvious reason the RPOSC now wants nothing to do with Liz Cheney. It's because she led the Congressional hearings into Jan. 6 and has been one of the few Republicans brave enough to hold Donald Trump accountable. We can't have that now, can we?

Donald Trump, the man who was named RPOSC "Statesman of the Year" in both 2011 and 2015. It was during those years he was grossly overinflating the value of his real estate holdings to receive favorable loans from banks. For example, his Mar-a-Lago residence was overvalued by 2,300 percent, according to a court document. The New York judge in his civil case has already called him a "fraud."

So, the RPOSC continues to honor a fraud and denies it ever had anything to do with the person who called him out. My, you'd hate for the RPOSC to look bad or anything.

You know, all this lying, it's just too much sometimes.

It can really get exhausting.

If you need a break from the fake news media, the Republican Party of Sarasota County suggests Siesta Key.

A few days on the slopes and you'll be good as new.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Republican Party honored Liz Cheney in 2017 but now denies it