Last week, the Greybull Standard quoted Senator Ed Cooper saying the Freedom Caucus in Washington had pledged $30,000 to each Wyoming House race, and that legislators were graded—and rewarded—based on how faithfully they voted the party line. I quoted him in my column.
On Thursday, Cooper walked-it back. He said he “spoke incorrectly” and could not substantiate the claim.
Notice what he did not say. He did not say it was false. Only that it could not be proven.
Andy Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, filled that gap by calling the claim “completely false,” accusing Cooper of lying or spreading rumor. Then, graciously, Roth scolded Cooper for being “sloppy.”
Wednesday, Rep. Mike Yin alleged Republican officials were passing checks out on the floor of the house. Rep. Karlee Provenza took a photograph of a check exchange.
But here’s the problem for the Freedom Caucus: while they deny money-for-votes, they have never denied the machinery.
They admit they send daily text messages to members about how to vote. They refuse—flatly—to release those messages for public scrutiny. Despite repeated requests, the texts remain secret.
Roth himself confirmed the system exists, saying the network sends recommendations reflecting “how we feel about various bills.” Other Freedom Caucus members have acknowledged some of the messages come from the national organization.
Some members say the texts don’t force votes—just “encourage,” or suggest prayerful reflection. Others have admitted the messages explicitly state how to vote, though they insist there’s “no pressure.”
Sure.
It’s gone further than texts. Leadership has dictated scripts—actual talking points—for members to read in meetings. When Senator Ogden Driskill called out Representative John Bear for scripting motions, Bear responded by calling Driskill a “doofus.” That about captures the maturity of the operation.
This isn’t new. In 2025, Representative Landon Brown publicly complained that Freedom Caucus members were carrying bills they clearly didn’t understand—because they hadn’t written them.
So let’s tally what we do know.
The messages exist.
They are secret.
Some originate from an out-of-state political organization.
Scripts exist.
Those are secret too.
We know money changed hands – on the house floor.
And during floor debate, you can routinely watch legislators read directly from their phones.
We do not know who is scripting the debate.
The unanswered question isn’t whether there’s coordination. If it looks like a duck . . .
The real question is: what’s the price of admission?
In a 2022 interview, Representative Bear described the scoring system plainly: follow us and it’s a good mark; don’t, and it’s a bad one. He estimated the compliance threshold at roughly 80%.
Since then, the Freedom Caucus has refused to disclose how members are graded, what the benchmarks are, or how those scores affect endorsements, funding, or political survival.
Wyoming’s founders were deeply suspicious of this kind of behavior. Our Wyoming Constitution defines very few crimes explicitly. One of them is legislative bribery.
Article 3, Section 43 prohibits offering anything of value to influence a legislator’s official duties.
Someone needs to explain how campaign support, leadership positions, coveted committee appointments and protection from political annihilation—conditioned on voting a certain percentage of the time as directed—does not violate that principle.
Someone also needs to explain why secret instructions from national organizations are compatible with ethical, transparent government.
I don’t expect legislative leadership to investigate itself.
Someone should.
I do expect a lot of hand-waving, dressed up as constitutional theory, claiming that quid pro quo politics is just “free speech.”
It isn’t.
Wyoming deserves legislators who answer to voters—not to secret texts, hidden scorecards, and out-of-state puppeteers.
We deserve better.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 to 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
