Kevin McCarthy tried to get Liz Cheney to apologize for the way she handled her vote to impeach former President Trump ahead of last week’s highly anticipated House GOP conference meeting – a request she declined, two people told me. direct knowledge to Axios.
Why it matters: Cheney rolled the dice, declined her leader’s request, and counted on her supporters to keep her as conference chair, the party’s third post in the House. She has gained her newfound power and is now embracing her role as the Republicans’ Trump critic.
What we hear: McCarthy, who was hesitant in the first place to cast a vote to oust Cheney, privately told her hours before Wednesday’s caucus meeting that their members wanted to hear her say she was sorry.
- He also suggested it could affect some of her detractors.
- Cheney’s team counted the whip, however, and she was confident she would get at least 142 votes, the sources said.
- A McCarthy representative declined to comment.
In the room: “Several members have asked me to apologize for the vote, they have asked my colleagues who also voted to impeach to apologize for the vote, “Cheney (R-Wyo.) Told her colleagues.
- ‘I can not do that. It was a mood of conscience. It was a vote of principle – a principle I stand and still believe in. ‘
- Toward the end of last week’s more than four-hour rally, Cheney and members of the House Freedom Caucus – for opposite reasons – demanded a vote at the conference. She eventually won 145-61.
What to watch: Cheney now wants to take advantage of her elevated profile.
- On Monday, she will host a virtual fundraising event, according to a copy of an invite obtained by Axios.
- Notable guests include former House Speaker John Boehner; Sara Bonjean, a GOP fundraiser and wife of former Congress leader Ron Bonjean; former Florida Rep. Ilheana Ros-Lehtinen; and former George W. Bush official Maria Cino.
She also doubled about her condemnation of the former president in a Fox News interview on Sunday, telling Chris Wallace that Trump “will not play a role as leader of our party in the future.”
- “People have been lied to,” Cheney said. “For months until January 6, President Trump spread the idea that the election had been stolen … and people need to understand that.”
But, but, but: The criticism for Cheney has not completely disappeared.
- The Wyoming Republican Party voted on Saturday to condemn its vote on Trump’s impeachment.
- She also has numerous critics in the Freedom Caucus and national Republican circles.
Editor’s Note: This story’s headline and section have been updated to reflect that Kevin McCarthy has asked Liz Cheney to apologize for how she handled the impeachment vote.