Arizona AG to investigate Trump's Liz Cheney comment as potential death threat

• Cheney, once among the highest-ranking members of the GOP, has long been one of Trump's fiercest critics.
• She endorsed Vice President Harris and campaigned for the Democrat over the last month.

The latest: During an interview with 12 News on Friday, Mayes said she's directed her criminal division chief to analyze whether Trump's statements qualify as death threats under state law.

• "I'm not prepared now to say whether it was or it wasn't, but it is not helpful as we prepare for our election and as we try to make sure that we keep the peace at our polling places and in our state," she told the NBC affiliate.
• AG spokesperson Richie Taylor confirmed the AG's office is looking into the legality of Trump's comments.

Flashback: During an event in Glendale, Arizona moderated by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday night, Trump assailed Cheney as "very dumb" and a "radical war hawk."

• "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay? Let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face," Trump added.

• Trump said at the event that he was criticizing "war hawks sitting in Washington" while sending U.S. troops abroad.

The other side: Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the former president was "100% correct that warmongers like Liz Cheney are very quick to start wars and send other Americans to fight them, rather than go into combat themselves."

• Leavitt condemned the backlash to Trump's comments, calling it an example of "fake media outrage" attempting "to interfere on behalf of Kamala Harris" in the 2024 election.