Hern publicly joins call for Cheney’s ouster
First District Congressman Kevin Hern on Friday called for Wyoming’s Liz Cheney to resign as chair of the House Republican Conference, the House’s third-ranking GOP leadership post.
Hern is the first member of Oklahoma’s all-Republican House delegation to go public with opposition to Cheney, whose opposition to former President Donald Trump and what she calls “The Big Lie” — that Trump was cheated out of the 2020 presidential election — has put her at odds with many in the GOP, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.
“While everyone has their own styles and methods, one thing is constant: a good leader must be willing to go to bat for all they lead — even if it means personal sacrifice,” Hern said in a written statement.
“Congresswoman Cheney has proven that she will put her own interests over those of whom she was elected to lead as Conference Chair,” Hern continued. “In the press, Cheney has made it clear that her self-interests outweigh the interest of the Conference and the interest of the people we represent. This failure of leadership leaves me no choice but to call for her resignation. If she does not resign, I will vote to remove her from her leadership position.”
Asked to explain what Hern meant by “self-interest,” a spokesperson said in a follow-up email that Cheney has put her personal beliefs ahead of the conference.
“As the elected Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, her job is to lead the messaging and strategic direction of the entire Conference,” said the email. “She has not been able to set aside her differences to effectively lead a Republican Conference made up of a range of beliefs and personalities. Rep. Hern believes the Conference would be better served by someone ... who is focused on making the Conference effective in the minority and unified in where we want to go.”
Hern and the rest of Oklahoma’s delegation were among 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying electoral votes for President Joe Biden from one or more states on Jan. 6 after pro-Trump rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol.
Loyalty to Trump and belief that he lost the election through vote-tampering continues to be a powerful force in GOP politics, even though extensive reviews have found no irregularities on the scale necessary to change the outcome.