Asking me a question would have taken too much time away from what looked like Rod Miller’s 9:30am whiskey. On Cowboy State Daily’s morning broadcast, Cowboy State Daily Columnist Rod Miller claimed that I had access to the Sheridan County Republican Party’s Facebook page and authored a controversial post discussed in CSD’s recent reporting. Host Jake Nichols alluded to my involvement without mentioning my name. It wasn’t immediately clear if Nichols was joining Miller in his morning tipple.
Let me make this clear enough that even Miller could read it through the bottom of his sunrise cocktail glass: I didn’t have anything to do with the SCGOP post; nor do I have access to their Facebook page.
Jake Nichols, Rod Miller nor anyone else at the Cowboy State Daily bothered to contact me. Instead, in the middle of what looked like a morning binge, Rod Miller made it up as he went along.
Miller claimed during the show that he read about my involvement in an article. There’s been no reporting to that effect from the Cowboy State Daily or any other Wyoming media outlet. It is, simply put, fabricated. I was, however, accused by another Cowboy State Daily columnist, Gail Symons, of being involved in the SCGOP post on her personal Facebook page.
Symons wrote, “I raise the bullshit flag that McCright doesn’t know who wrote that post. It was either Harry Pollak or David Iverson. Since it was coherent, I expect the latter. Given he is the standard bearer for her fan club, that tracks. So the writer/poster doesn’t want to be identified? How very transparent of them.” The truth? Neither Harry nor I had anything to do with it.
The Open Range Record spoke with Harry Pollak. He doesn’t have access to the Sheridan County GOP Facebook page nor has he ever. And, did not author the post. Just like Rod Miller and Jake Nichols, Symons doesn’t offer any proof of her claims; she merely asserts them as fact.
Miller knew before his appearance on the CSD show that the claims he was going to make weren’t, at the very least, substantiated. He said so himself. In a comment on Symons’ post, Miller wrote, “I wait with bated breath for confirmation that Iverson wrote that post. I’ll have fun with that info.” Miller knew he couldn’t prove my involvement. Hours and presumably some whiskey later, he claimed that he read in an article that I was responsible. No such article has yet been published. Not to put too fine a point on it, he lied.
Though I didn’t need to for this article, I gave the Cowboy State Daily a courtesy they didn’t give me. I contacted their executive editor, Jimmy Orr for comment. No one from the CSD, including Orr, Rod Miller or Jake Nichols responded by the given 3pm deadline.
The Cowboy State Daily didn’t ask me if I had access to the SCGOP page, wrote the post or had anything to do with publishing it. One straightforward question would have produced an unequivocal answer: no.
Miller should correct his claim, and CSD should issue a correction. The retraction should be public and prominent—just like what was said about me. Not that she will but Gail Symons should do the same. Criticize my writing and my program all you like. There is plenty of material, and I am proud of my work. I always have been. But claims require proof; Rod Miller, the Cowboy State Daily and Gail Symons don’t have any. But they opened their mouths anyway.