Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming was ousted from her position in GOP House leadership on Wednesday after Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy hosted a voice vote to remove her.
Cheney previously escaped a referendum in February concerning her role, but McCarthy and other Republicans quickly became frustrated with her again. Last week, McCarthy reportedly said he “lost confidence” in Cheney on a hot mic moment during a Fox News hit shortly before announcing he would host a recall vote.
“If we are to succeed in stopping the radical Democrat agenda from destroying our country, these internal conflicts need to be resolved so as to not detract from the efforts of our collective team,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to his GOP colleagues. “All members are elected to represent their constituents as they see fit, but our leadership team cannot afford to be distracted from the important work we were elected to do and the shared goals we hope to achieve.”
Cheney was well aware of the unrest she caused within her party but still managed to insult her Republican colleagues on her way out the door on Wednesday after the vote.
“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 said, shortly after vowing to do everything in her power to keep former President Donald Trump from entering the Oval Office again.
Cheney’s opposition to Trump and unwillingness to embrace the new GOP created under his administration played a large role in Republicans’ decision to oust her. In addition to supporting the Democrats’ second round of impeachment shenanigans targeting Trump, Cheney and her Never Trump allies such as Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., have used the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to justify attacking other Republicans.
Trump is not ignorant about Cheney’s crusade against him and often voices his support for the GOP members who are in favor of getting rid of Cheney. On Wednesday, he released a statement saying, “Republicans in the House of Representatives have a great opportunity today to rid themselves of a poor leader, a major Democrat talking point, a warmonger, and a person with absolutely no personality or heart.”
“As a representative of the Great State of Wyoming, Liz Cheney is bad for our Country and bad for herself. Almost everyone in the Republican Party, including 90% of Wyoming, looks forward to her ouster—and that includes me!” Trump concluded.
Trump also released a statement after the vote calling Cheney a “bitter, horrible human being” who is bad for the Republican Party. “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!” Trump stated.
The former president previously issued multiple endorsements for New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to replace the Wyoming representative as House Republican Conference chair.
“The House GOP has a massive opportunity to upgrade this week from warmonger Liz Cheney to gifted communicator Elise Stefanik,” Trump wrote. “Elise has the intelligence, an endorsement from American Patriot Brandon Judd and the National Border Patrol Council, she has an A+ from the NRA, and she loves our Veterans. We need someone in Leadership who has experience flipping districts from Blue to Red as we approach the important 2022 midterms, and that’s Elise! She knows how to win, which is what we need!”
According to a Politico-Morning Consult poll released Wednesday, approximately 50 percent of Republican voters said they supported removing Cheney from her leadership position.
