May 4 (UPI) — Local Republican Party officials in Colorado say they canceled a scheduled fundraiser for South Dakota governor and U.S. vice presidential hopeful Kristi Noem due to alleged death threats.
The Jefferson County, Colo., Republican Party on Friday canceled Noem’s fundraiser and appearance planned for Saturday in Denver after receiving “numerous threats and/or death threats.”
The threats were directed against “our organization, the hotel and to the governor and her staff,” Nancy Lappozi, chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party, said in a news release.
The fundraiser was scheduled at the West Marriott hotel in Denver.
Lappozi said hotel officials contacted the Jefferson County GOP party regarding “deep concern” about “alarming comments” received from “political extremists” and potential harm to those attending the event, hotel guests and staff.
“We understand there was a planned organized protest outside the hotel led by Progress Now, a George Soros-funded organization,” Lappozi said in reference to the Hungarian Jewish billionaire frequently cited by conservative and right-wing groups as a conspiratorial funder of liberal causes. “We could not take the risk that those who made threats would cause physical harm.”
Lappozi said the last threat made against the event was contained in a voicemail message saying there would be “guns at the protest and people might get hurt.”
Excerpts from Noem’s pending book release titled No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, have triggered a fierce backlash against her from both Republican and Democratic critics and Lappozi speculated that controversy may be behind the threats.
The book is scheduled for release Tuesday and includes passages about Noem shooting a young family dog she said was dangerous.
Noem’s book also says she previously encountered North Korea leader Kim Jong Un while she was a member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, which others say never happened, Politico reported.
Noem also says Nikki Haley allegedly threatened her during a phone call made in 2021, but Haley’s staff says the phone call was in 2020 and no threat was made during the conversation.
