About 40 people gathered at the corner of Spring Gulch Road and Highway 22 Thursday evening to protest a private dinner event hosted by local Republicans. The exclusive fundraiser benefitted the far-right House Freedom Fund and welcomed the controversial Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Jim Jordon (R-OH) as special guests, as well as former chief of staff for President Trump Mark Meadows.
Tickets for Thursday’s event started at $2,000 per couple, $5,000 to attend a VIP reception and $10,000 for the host committee.
Many mostly friendly, and a few aggressive, drivers, honked to show their support or displeasure for the protestors while commuting home through rush hour traffic. Maddie Pitts spoke to KHOL about why she came out to demonstrate.
“I came out here because I think it’s important to let everybody know that we are not supporting this conference and her [Marjorie Taylor Greene’s] views in this town. And [also] to let the owners of JHMR [Jackson Hole Mountain Resort] know that we don’t appreciate them hosting an event that has that kind of political environment,” Pitts said. “I fully believe in revealing truths and I’m also a nurse and I really don’t appreciate her viewpoint on COVID and the fact that she has been basically endangering people with her misinformation.”
Demonstrators gathered at the intersection of Spring Gulch Road and Highway 22 during rush hour traffic Thursday evening. (Emily Cohen/KHOL)
Greene has been an outspoken opponent of masks and vaccines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, once comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust, for which she later apologized. The representative was also recently temporarily banned from Twitter for spreading misinformation about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene can say whatever she wants to about Jewish people and conspiracy theories and burning up half of the world and she is virtually, basically unchallenged [by fellow Republicans],” said another demonstrator named Jack Sparkman. “And she’s a fundraising queen now, so it’s sad.”
Thursday’s event featuring Greene was co-hosted by Jay and Karen Kemmerer, co-owners of JHMR, which also drew ire from the crowd. Some demonstrators even held signs encouraging a boycott of the flagship Teton County recreation destination.
Still, other protestors held signs supporting Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who has denounced some far-right conspiracy theories among her party, including the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump. Cheney is breaking fundraising records for her 2022 reelection campaign but likely faces stiff competition from multiple primary challengers to maintain her seat in Congress.
(Emily Cohen/KHOL)
