Spying allegations warrant investigation to avoid further fattening the policy

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Star-Tribune Editorial Board

Two years ago, a New York Times investigation revealed that a handful of Wyoming politicians, including Governor Mark Gordon, had been the subject of a covert spy operation by powerful conservatives seeking to infiltrate political campaigns ahead of the 2020 election. The investigation found two conservative operatives posing as progressives in order to obtain information about political opponents on the left and right.

The operation, The Times reported, was linked to Erik Prince, founder of the private military firm Blackwater, and funded by Susan Gore, a wealthy heiress and conservative donor. It targeted not only Gordon, whose moderate and low-key approach has frustrated the far right, but also lawmakers Eric Barlow, a Republican, and Karlee Provenza, a Democrat.

Gore called the allegations misinformation and nothing. But Provenza confronted her at the Wyoming Capitol, where she told Gore that you paid over a million dollars to send spies to my house. Gore, said Provenza, replied I know, I made you famous.

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Marti Halverson, a former Wyoming GOP national committee member, provided Gore with a list of names of people to target, according to the Times. Halverson later told WyoFile that she created a list for Gore of lawmakers sorted by their votes on spending bills, but denied knowing the list would be used for espionage.

The agents, meanwhile, tried to interfere in the lives of the people they were spying on. Provenza and her husband went on double dates with them. They had dinner with Barlow at the Legislators Ranch.

I go from not knowing how to feel to extremely violated, Provenza told the Star-Tribune at the time. These people were at my house.

Earlier this month, we learned that federal prosecutors are currently investigating the case. No one has been charged with wrongdoing, but Gore and Prince have been subpoenaed as part of the investigation. The same goes for Richard Seddon, a former British intelligence official whom the Times story linked to the operation, and James OKeefe, the former head of Project Veritas.

Federal investigators are right to look into this case, because the alleged behavior is far beyond pallid even to the restless world of politics. Wyoming politics has a long history of civility, and that civility has made it easier to resolve the issues facing our state. How effective can our Statehouse be if its occupants fear being spied on by members of their own party?

Were heartened to learn that federal prosecutors are investigating this case because it’s clear from the muted response to the allegations that many in Wyoming’s political class don’t want to look very closely at what’s going on. happened. It’s disappointing. There are credible allegations suggesting that people outside our state teamed up with wealthy locals to spy on our governor. Why didn’t these allegations trigger a state investigation? Why didn’t this cause outrage?

We have long been proud of the fact that Wyoming’s politics are less crude and more productive than those of other states. We certainly don’t want to replace this story with one that includes espionage and subterfuge. We hope the investigation sends a strong message that this kind of behavior will no longer be allowed to mess up Wyoming.

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