Dear Editor,

Most of our political divisiveness exists, because there are no consequences for lying. There are plenty of laws to punish lies, which are fraud, but they are not enforced. Lying through the mail is mail fraud, over the airwaves (radio, television, cellphone, computer, etc.) is wire fraud.

The term ‘fake news’ was developed to give the impression that these felonies are really just pranks. Penalties are a $250 thousand fine and up to 20 years in prison for each offence. We often hear that no one is above the law, but I see that many people are. 

Shortly before the 2016 election, Fox News anchor Bret Baier reported that “two separate sources with intimate knowledge of the FBI investigations into the Clinton emails and the Clinton Foundation” said that Hillary would likely be indicted. That was a lie, which Baier called ‘inartful reporting’. He later claimed the tip was from one anonymous source. No fine, no prison, no charges. Reviewing the claims of slanted talk-show hosts will also reveal plenty of lies.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) runs hundreds of campaign ads all over the country. Let’s look at one from Colorado. The attack ad against Hickenlooper concerns the Firestone home explosion on April 17, 2017. Mark Martinez and his brother-in-law Joey Irwin were killed, and his wife Erin was seriously injured. 

The explosion was caused by a pipeline that leaked natural gas. The pipeline was owned by Kerr McGee, then a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which had donated $330,000 to Hickenlooper’s administration for public-private partnerships to fund government programs and positions over four years.

The ad says “…Hickenlooper took a secret donation from the company who caused it.” That is a lie. All of the donations were disclosed on a public website, and an investigation by CBS4 found “no evidence of a quid pro quo.”

It also says, 1. “…no one went to jail.” When does any corporate executive go to jail for a crime? 2. “…no fines under Hickenlooper.” The investigation took over two years, after which there was a record fine of $18.25 million. 3. “…he let them get away with it.” The governor doesn’t control prosecutions, the attorney general does.

These criminal ads influence how people vote.

From the time of his election until July 2020, President Trump told 20,000 lies through various media. That qualifies for a likely world record of 400,000 years in prison and a $5 billion fine. No charges.

The Republicans worked Bill Clinton’s lying to Congress into an impeachment.

Lying has been a basic tenet of the Republican Party since the mid- 1970s. In 1974 top right-wing organizer Paul Weyrich co-founded the Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress, later the Free Congress Foundation. He published a booklet on political tactics through the think tank, in which he claimed lying for the right reasons, was a “permissible mental reservation.” 

I am an unaffiliated voter, who wants to see everybody’s lies punished. Possibly after the election we will have an honest Justice Department that will enforce all of the laws. In spite of the election, maybe Colorado will lead the way. Are you listening, Mr. Weiser?

Gene Strandberg
Gilpin County