Liz Cheney used to be a popular Republican in the House of Representatives representing Wyoming’s at-large district. Daughter of Dick Cheney, she was a conservative darling, elected Chair of the House Republican Conference, making her the third-ranking Republican in the chamber behind the Minority Leader (Kevin McCarthy) and Minority Whip (Steve Scalise).
She was well-respected among her fellow House Republicans until January 13, 2021, when she and nine other Republicans voted to impeach Donald Trump following the storming of the United States Capitol, asserting, “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
Immediately, House Republicans called for her removal from House leadership. On February 3, the House Republican Conference held a secret ballot vote on removing Cheney from her post. She kept her position with a vote of 145-61. However, the Wyoming Republican Party called for her to step down and censured her. She noted the censure incorrectly stated that Antifa and Black Lives Matter activists conducted Capitol riots and corrected them, asserting that the storming of the Capitol was made up of Trump supporters.
She did not apologize for her impeachment vote; instead, she has become more vocal in her criticism of Donald Trump.
Despite the censure, after the House vote, you’d assume that the issue of removing her from her position would be over. However, it’s become a massive issue again now due to several statements on her part. The first defection from her party was when she didn’t believe Trump should speak at CPAC, stating, “I’ve been clear on my views about President Trump. I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country.”
At the House GOP retreat in Orlando, when aked about 2024 Republican presidential candidates, Cheney doubled down on her beliefs about the insurrection, saying that “some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge not to certify the election, you know, in my view, that’s disqualifying.” She also noted, “If we minimize what happened on January 6 and if we appease it, then we will be in a situation where every election cycle, you could potentially have another constitutional crisis.” She also emphasized the need for a commission to investigate the Capitol riots on January 6, which McCarthy opposes. (It’s important to note that an investigation would almost certainly require McCarthy to be subpoenaed.)
She was then criticized for shaking hands with Joe Biden after his speech. She defended her actions on April 29, tweeting, “I disagree strongly [with Joe Biden’s] policies, but when the President reaches out to greet me in the chamber of the US House of Representatives, I will always respond in a civil, respectful, and dignified way. We’re different political parties. We’re not sworn enemies. We’re Americans.”
Not long after, on May 3, she tweeted, “The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.”
House Republicans, notably Kevin McCarthy, the Minority Leader, are outraged. McCarthy told Steve Doocy of Fox and Friends off-air that “[He’s] had it… [he’s] had it with her. You know, [he’s] lost confidence… Well, someone just has to bring a motion, but I assume that will probably take place.” He stated on the show that House Republicans are concerned about her ability to carry out her job. McCarthy is furious that Cheney is not “carrying out the message.” Cheney spokesperson, Jeremy Adler, responded, “This is about whether the Republican Party is going to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and attempt to whitewash what happened on January 6. Liz will not do that. That is the issue.”
Cheney has also said in a closed-door conference in Georgia that “We can’t whitewash what happened on January 6 or perpetuate Trump’s Big Lie. It is a threat to democracy. What he did on January 6 is a line that cannot be crossed.”
Like McCarthy told Steve Doocy on Fox and Friends, he just has to bring forth a motion to remove her from her position (or 20% of the Republican House members can vote to bring forth the motion), and it is almost certain that will happen. They could vote as early as May 12. A Republican lawmaker who voted the first time to keep Cheney in her leadership position in February stated that Cheney has “less support than she thinks,” so it is highly possible that this second vote, even if it is a secret-ballot vote, may go differently this time.
Many Republicans are looking at Elise Stefanik of New York, an ardent Trump supporter, to take over Cheney’s position as Chair of the House Republican Conference. Stefanik worked with the Bush administration and was the youngest woman to be elected to Congress. She has an education from Harvard. However, she has now become a Trump apologist. She believes in the Big Lie and voted to overturn the votes in Pennsylvania. She is often compared to Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert, only with education.
Liz Cheney has followed her moral compass. She has called out sedition. She has called out lies. And she is being punished for it. This is what the Republican Party has come to. Cheney isn’t “carrying out the message” of the Big Lie, so she will almost certainly be removed from her rightfully earned leadership position and has already been censured and asked to resign by the Wyoming Republican Party. I may disagree with Cheney’s politics, but I respect that she calls out Trump for his role on January 6 and respects that she acknowledges that Biden won the election. I also appreciate that she shook Biden’s hand and noted that they were just two people of different political parties, but they were both Americans. I want to say I am surprised that the Republican Party criticized her for that, but the Republican Party has gone so low, almost nothing they do surprises me anymore.
They’ve gone so low that they accept and respect Matt Gaetz, accused, and most likely guilty due to the evidence, of sleeping with a minor (which is otherwise known as rape) because he supports Trump and repeats The Big Lie, but not a woman who outwardly disagrees with the theory that has been proven incorrect. It flabbergasts me. The Republican Party is quickly becoming the party of Q.
I never thought I’d say this, but I stand with Liz Cheney.
UPDATE
Donald Trump posted the following posts on his website after this entry was posted:
“Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership. We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!”
“Warmonger Liz Cheney, who has virtually no support left in the Great State of Wyoming, continues to unknowingly and foolishly say that there was no Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election when in fact, the evidence, including no Legislative approvals as demanded by the U.S. Constitution, shows the exact opposite. Had Mike Pence referred the information on six states (only need two) back to State Legislatures, and had gutless and clueless MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell (he blew two seats in Georgia that should have never been lost) fought to expose all of the corruption that was presented at the time, with more found since, we would have had a far different Presidential result, and our Country would not be turning into a socialist nightmare! Never give up!”
“Heartwarming to read new polls on big-shot warmonger Liz Cheney of the great State of Wyoming. She is so low that her only chance would be if vast numbers of people run against her which, hopefully, won’t happen. They never liked her much, but I say she’ll never run in a Wyoming election again!”
UPDATE 2
Liz Cheney published an op-ed in the Washington Post doubling down on her opinions and calling for an independent commission to investigate January 6. She also emphasizes that the Republican Party can’t be the party of Trump, and reiterates that President Biden did not steal the election. She affirms she is willing to face the political consequences for speaking out.
“History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process. I am committed to doing that, no matter what the short-term political consequences might be.”
Citations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Cheney
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/03/politics/liz-cheney-doubles-down-trump-gop/index.html
https://www.axios.com/iz-cheney-kevin-mccarthy-hot-mic-9ac0f8b7-c4ab-4c26-9d1d-1466505ae10b.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/house-republican-leadership-vote-explainer/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elise_Stefanik
http://www.donaldjtrump.com/desk
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/05/liz-cheney-republican-party-turning-point/
