Cowboy State Daily is retracting an Aug. 10, 2023, story that reported a former Cheyenne City Council candidate was suing a whistleblower for identifying him as a member of a white nationalist group.
James Michael Johnson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (formerly of Cheyenne) was one of 31 arrested by police in a U-Haul on their way to reportedly demonstrate at a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on June 11, 2022. Cowboy State Daily would like to correct an article published on June 13, 2022 regarding that event. In that article, Cowboy State Daily reported members of the Patriot Front were “planning on rioting” and possessed “smoke grenades.” In actuality, 31 members of the Patriot Front were found inside the back of a U-Haul Truck in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, all wearing the same clothes, including khakis, with navy blue shirts, beige hats and a white cloth covering their faces. Inside the back of the U-Haul police said they found evidence of what appeared to be a homemade riot shield and some protective equipment. Police said they also found at least one smoke grenade. Cowboy State Daily is glad to correct this inaccuracy.
Additionally, Cowboy State Daily reported that James Michael Johnson, formerly of Sioux Falls, S.D. was asked to leave a Cheyenne City Council meeting by a former Cheyenne mayor. The article did not report the former Cheyenne mayor was the ex-spouse of Cowboy State Daily Editor Jimmy Orr. The Cowboy State Daily is also glad to add this additional fact to the June 13, 2022, story.
In an Aug. 10, 2023, follow-up story, Cowboy State Daily reported that five people affiliated with the group Patriot Front were suing a Washington state man for blowing the whistle on them and identifying them as members of the group.
James Michael Johnson was identified as one of those suing the whistleblower. That was wrong, and in fact, there were two men named James Johnson among the 31 arrested by authorities in Idaho. It was the other man, James Julius Johnson of Concrete, Washington, who was among the five who sued the whistleblower.
Cowboy State Daily apologizes to James Michael Johnson and our readers. The Aug. 10, 2023, story has been removed.
