Cheney launches anti-Trump ad ahead of ex-president’s CNN town hall

The ad will run on CNN before and after Wednesday’s town hall with former president Donald Trump

The political action committee founded by former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney is out with a television ad warning Americans that former president Donald Trump “is a risk America can never take again”.

The 60-second ad is set to run in the New Hampshire area before and after Mr Trump appears on the network Wednesday evening for a town hall session with anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Although it will reach viewers who tune in to the event on Wednesday, a CNN spokesperson told The Independent that the network “does not control the local ads that run periodically on CNN during local breaks” and stressed that CNN “doesn’t sell ads to candidates or campaigns during our town hall events”.

Narrated by Ms Cheney, the ad describes how Mr Trump began lying about the conduct of the 2020 election after it became clear he would lose to Joe Biden.

Continuing, the ex-Wyoming congresswoman recalls Mr Trump having “mobilised a mob to come to Washington and march on the Capitol” on the day Congress was set to certify the election, 6 January 2021.

She continues to speak over images of the riot showing Mr Trump’s supporters savaging police officers outside the Capitol.

“Trump was warned repeatedly that his plans for January 6th were illegal. He didn’t care, and today he celebrates those who attacked our Capitol. Donald Trump has proven he is unfit for office,” she said.

Ms Cheney founded the Super PAC running the ad, The Great Task, shortly after losing her House seat to now-Representative Harriet Hageman. She was ousted by her fellow Republicans who were upset over her criticism of Mr Trump and her service on the House January 6 select committee.

The former Wyoming congresswoman has vowed to keep Mr Trump from ever setting foot in the White House again, and has not ruled out mounting her own campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.