On the surface, the most startling feature of Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney’s primary defeat on Tuesday appeared to be the size of the margin.

Due to Cheney’s major involvement in the January 6 witch hunt, many observers, including former President Donald Trump, predicted she would lose if forced to face Republican voters in her state.

Politico reports that with 99 percent of the ballots counted, the Republican candidate favored by Trump, Harriet Hageman, won 66,3 percent to Cheney’s 28,9 percent. It was a historic defeat.

During Cheney’s self-aggrandizing concession address, the now-defeated congresswoman suggested a prospective bid for the presidency, which may have been an unexpected development.

However, in organizing the lecture, Cheney may have broken FEC regulations on campaign contributions.

In a moving tweet, CNN’s Jeff Zeleny laid the stage for Cheney’s surrender.

The Cheney speech tonight will be delivered in a picturesque spot outside Jackson. Veteran TV producer James Goldston, an adviser to the Jan. 6 committee, and a film crew are on hand here in Wyoming–as "a friend" of Cheney. From our CNN blog: https://t.co/hmtIbHI9Cm

— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) August 17, 2022

Details contained in the tweet highlight the difficulties that Cheney may confront.

The website of the Federal Election Commission specifies a sort of political donation known as an in-kind contribution. “An in-kind contribution is a non-monetary contribution. Goods or services offered free or at less than the usual charge result in an in-kind contribution.”

The FEC website also lists the donation limitations for 2021 and 2022. The maximum contribution an individual may make to a candidate is $2,900.

Breitbart detailed the probable violation of campaign funding laws committed by the Cheney campaign:

“Anyone who films a candidate may generally do so, under the protections of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, if the film crew is producing a video especially for a candidate, that counts as a service provided to the campaign.

“Goldston’s services, including his crew, are probably worth tens of thousands of dollars. Moreover, Zeleny reported that Goldston is filming Cheney as a favor — as a ‘friend.’ Hence his contribution would be an in-kind contribution to Cheney.”

More on this story via The Western Journal:

Aside from the Twitter post, Zeleney shared a byline on a CNN report that described Goldston’s presence a little more clearly:

“Cheney worked closely with Goldston’s team in presenting the committee’s findings in a TV-ready fashion to a national audience. They have worked together to edit hours and hours of recordings that have brought to life the insurrection as it unfolded. CONTINUE READING…