Musk Among Guests At McCarthy Fundraiser For Challenger To “Pariah” Liz Cheney

Elon Musk is on the guest list for a Wyoming event hosted by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for “members, donors and candidates,” though the GOP leader wouldn’t confirm or deny Musk’s attendance.

“I’m not going to talk about that,” he told Bloomberg in a telephone interview from his Teton Village, WY hotel room.

McCarthy notably threw support behind Liz Cheney challenger Harriet Hageman early in the conservative lawyer’s campaign. The two face a primary election today.

Musk, whose SpaceX has operations in McCarthy’s Bakersfield, California-area district, has donated to Republican and Democratic candidates and campaign committees since making his first contribution in 2003. His biggest investment, some $128,900, has been in committees connected with McCarthy. He’s also become increasingly vocal on political issues.

The event at a resort in Teton Village, not far from Cheney’s home, is another illustration of how much of a pariah the state’s lone House representative has become within the Republican Party because of her vocal and persistent criticism of former President Donald Trump over his role in the insurrection at the US Capitol. -Bloomberg

As Bloomberg notes, it’s unusual for a party leader to actively campaign against an incumbent, highlighting how much of a pariah Cheney has become since taking up the mantle against former President Trump while on the January 6th committee.

McCarthy, meanwhile, hopes to become Speaker of the House if the GOP retake the chamber in November midterms.

In an interview, he said that he’s confident Hageman will defeat Cheney, and “is going to be a great representative” for Wyoming. He’s already carved out a position for Hageman on the Natural Resources Committee, according to the report.

Hageman also has the support of former President Donald Trump – after stepping up verbal attacks of Cheney and her prominent role on the House committee investigating the January 6th riot.

Cheney has also accused Trump of trying to “steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power.”