Trump's Liz Cheney's comments are being investigated by AG as a possible “death threat.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Friday that her office is investigating whether former President Donald Trump's comments that former Wyoming woman Liz Cheney had “guns pointed at her face” violated the law.

“I have already asked my criminal division chief to begin reviewing this statement and analyzing it to determine whether it qualifies as a death threat under Arizona law,” Mayes told NBC affiliate 12News.

Mayes added: “I'm not ready to say now whether it was or not, but it's not helpful as we prepare for our election and try to make sure that we keep the peace at our polling places and in our polling places.” . “our state.”

Richie Taylor, the communications director for Maye's office, recounted Newsweek via email late Friday afternoon: “The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is reviewing whether Donald Trump’s comments about Liz Cheney violate Arizona law. The office has no further comment to make at this time.”

Newsweek reached out to Trump communications director Steven Cheung and Cheney's staff via email late Friday afternoon.

What did Trump say?

During a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday night, Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee, called Cheney, one of the most vocal anti-Trump Republicans, “a radical war hawk.”

“Let’s put them down with the gun shooting at them with nine barrels,” Trump said at the event in Glendale, Arizona. “Okay, let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are pointed at their faces.”

Trump then turned the conversation to politicians in Washington, D.C. in general: “You know they're all war hawks when they sit in a nice building in Washington and say, Oh man, well, let's put 10,000 troops right in the muzzle.” of war.” Enemy.”

Liz Cheney answers

Cheney wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a clip of Trump's comments: “This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten with death those who speak out against them.”

“We cannot trust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant,” Cheney said Friday morning, adding: #Womenwillnotbesilenced #VoteKamala.”

Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, both supported Trump's Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the Nov. 5 election.

Trump campaign defends comments

In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, Trump said he had simply said that Cheney “wouldn't have the courage to fight himself.”

“All I say about Liz Cheney is that she is a War Hawk, and a stupid one at that, but she wouldn’t have the courage to fight herself,” the former president wrote. “It's easy for her to talk when she's sitting far away from the death scenes, but if you put a gun in her hand and let her fight, she'll say, 'No thanks!'”

Meanwhile, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a Washington Post The article, published Friday, said: “President Trump is 100 percent right that warmongers like Liz Cheney are quick to start wars and send other Americans to fight them rather than go into battle themselves.”

Update 11/01/24 4:51 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Mayes' office and additional information.