Cheney ousted from leadership
Continued challenge to Trump sealed fate
WASHINGTON — House Republicans ousted Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership post Wednesday because she continues to challenge former President Donald Trump over his false claims about the presidential election being stolen and his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The vote to remove her as chair of the House Republican Conference underscored that the party will not tolerate disagreements with Trump, whose support many argue is needed for the party to win the House majority in the 2022 midterm election.
Cheney, 54, has called her decision to fight Trump publicly a matter of principle, warning that allowing him to falsely claim that the election was stolen amounts to an attack on democracy and is destructive to the GOP and its values.
“If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person, you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy,” Cheney told her Republican colleagues Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with her remarks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. “But I promise you this: After today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln.”
Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, have said that her fights with the former president have become a distraction and that she should not serve in a leadership position where the job is to unify the party as it seeks to combat President Joe Biden’s agenda and win the House.
“Any member can take whatever position they believe in … What we’re talking about is a position in leadership,” McCarthy said in an interview with Fox News Channel on Sunday, adding: “As conference chair, you have one of the most critical jobs as a messenger going forward.”
As Republican House leaders were saying it is time to move on and unify the party, Trump publicly reveled in Cheney’s ouster.
“Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party. She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our Country,” he said in a statement. “She is a talking point for Democrats, whether that means the Border, the gas lines, inflation, or destroying our economy. She is a warmonger whose family stupidly pushed us into the never-ending Middle East Disaster, draining our wealth and depleting our Great Military, the worst decision in our Country’s history. I look forward to soon watching her as a Paid Contributor on CNN or MSDNC!”
McCarthy said that no one is questioning Biden’s legitimacy following a meeting at the White House with the president and congressional leaders Wednesday.
Cheney is expected to be replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a onetime moderate turned Trump loyalist. A vote is expected Friday.
There was no roll call vote Wednesday — McCarthy said he wanted a voice vote to show “unity” — and after the meeting, Cheney walked up the middle aisle past her colleagues and left the room, according to a person familiar with the meeting.