Trump campaign co-chair thinks anything less than political violence is 'lying'

An angry New Hampshire lawmaker freaked everyone out this week with her bug-eyed certainty that politicians are lying to her through the television -- and her husband may have explained exactly what she means by that.

State Rep. Susan DeLemus took part in a CNN panel to explain her support for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, saying that the Republican frontrunner "says what I'm thinking."

“We’ve got people in positions of power who I know for a fact are liars -- liars!” DeLemus said. “I watch the TV — my president comes on the TV and he lies to me. I know he’s lying. He lies all the time.”

DeLemus isn't shy about expressing her support for Trump. She's taken part in previous CNN panel discussions, along with her husband -- a Tea Party activist and a failed candidate for "constitutional sheriff" of Strafford County.

The couple has become a go-to resource for journalists seeking Trump backers in the key primary state, with dozens of reports quoting one or both of them.

"Feature stories on Trump's supporters have tended to highlight people like DeLemus -- that is, political extremists, white nationalists, or those who admire Trump for his hair, the pizzazz of his hotels, and the menacing brio he showed on 'The Apprentice,'" reported Al-Jazeera. "This journalistic cherry-picking avoids an obvious question: If over 30 percent of all Republicans like Donald Trump, are all his fans really on the fringe?"

Most of these reports -- including that Al-Jazeera story -- neglect to mention that Jerry DeLemus actually works for the Trump campaign as co-chair of the candidate's "Veterans for Trump" coalition or as head of the Granite State Patriots Liberty PAC.

NPR's Robert Siegel interviewed the couple in October, and his report neglected to mention the Marine Corps veteran's campaign role -- but he did point out that Jerry DeLemus had organized the infamous rally where Trump failed to correct a man who called Obama a Muslim.

Siegel's report, which aired Oct. 26, sheds some light on what type of honesty Jerry and Susan DeLemus expect from their elected leaders.

"I asked Jerry DeLemus what he thinks when he watches C-SPAN and two members of Congress of opposite parties address each other politely, ceremoniously," Siegel said. "To Jerry, it is not civility. It's a fake. It's lying."

Jerry DeLemus, who drove 3,000 miles to take part in the Bundy ranch standoff, apparently thinks anything less than political violence is dishonest in the current polarized and highly partisan atmosphere.

"They go, 'Oh, my good friend, my colleague -- whatever,'" Jerry DeLemus said. "Well, half of us would like to punch the guy in the mouth ourselves. You know, we're going, 'You're not doing what you're supposed to do. The other guy's lying, and you know it. Call him on it.'"

Jerry DeLemus, who heads a large chapter of the 9/12 group founded by Glenn Beck, attempted in 2013 to turn the Tea Party organization into a militia that might be used to overthrow the state government.

“If we do not stand against this insanity we can be sure we will fully slip into tyranny," he said at the time. "We are in a similar position our Founding Fathers found themselves in, and their decision to stand was equally difficult.”

Jerry DeLemus apparently was the security team member who asked Jerad and Amanda Miller to leave the Bundy ranch just weeks before they gunned down two Las Vegas police officers.

He also planned, but later abandoned, a "draw Mohammed" contest similar to the one organized by anti-Muslim provocateur Pam Geller that ended in gunfire in Texas.

Susan DeLemus made news four years ago, when she angrily confronted state officials in an attempt to keep Obama off the ballot in New Hampshire, causing the assistant secretary of state to fear for his safety.

Siegel reported that Jerry DeLemus, who switched over in July from Sen. Ted Cruz's leadership team in New Hampshire, backs Trump because he's an "anti-politician."

The Cruz campaign refused to acknowledge in April whether the presidential candidate had spoken with Jerry DeLemus during a campaign event, although the senator was photographed with the Bundy ranch participant and his lawmaker wife.

[caption id="attachment_747802" align="alignnone" width="800"] Susan DeLemus, Jerry DeLemus and Ted Cruz (Facebook)[/caption]

Jerry DeLemus is also quoted in the 2011 book, "The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism," which highlighted his use of "vivid martial imagery" to strike fear of angry Tea Partiers into the heart of GOP elected officials.

Jerry and Susan DeLemus took part in a CNN panel in July, when they helped Trump weather one of his campaign's early controversies after the real estate tycoon and reality TV star insulted Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) military service record as a former prisoner of war.

"Don't forget McCain insulted the 'crazies,' which is a blanket insult," said Susan DeLemus, referring to the senator's description of Trump rally attendees.

Her husband cited his own military service record to echo Trump's insult almost word for word.

"As a Marine ... we like guys who don't get captured, too," Jerry DeLemus said. "I don't think that he meant that as an insult to POWs or the military at all."

CNN did not identify Susan DeLemus as a member of New Hampshire's 424-member legislative body, and it did not mention Jerry DeLemus had been named to Trump's campaign team the same day the report aired.

Watch Jerry DeLemus discuss his time at the Bundy ranch in this video posted online by Jason Patrick: