Mitch McConnell
Photographer: Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg
Photographer: Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell has rarely taken the step of analyzing an internal conflict between House Republicans, praising Rep. Liz Cheney for his “deep convictions” and “courage” as he faces attacks by the former president’s allies. Donald Trump.
Cheney, the GOP leader of the Third Chamber, came into force for his vote to accuse the former president, as well as for his sharp criticism of his words and actions.
“Liz Cheney is a leader with deep beliefs and the courage to act on them,” McConnell said in a statement. “He is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation. ”
McConnell’s support for Cheney is a clear sign of the Republican Party’s struggle over how much influence Trump will exert even after losing the White House to Democrat Joe Biden and the GOP losing control of the Senate. Trump’s actions to fuel the mob that stormed the Chapter last month, for which he was accused by the U.S. House for the second time without precedent, have divided Republicans in a way that few of the political battles over the past four years have done. a.
Read more: House Democrats to punish Conspiracist Greene If the GOP doesn’t
It comes before a meeting scheduled for Wednesday for House Republicans convened by their leader, Kevin McCarthy. Several lawmakers and aides have said Cheney’s role as president of the Republican conference is sure to come.
Some members, including Ohio Representative Jim Jordan and Arizona Representative Andy Biggs, have called for Cheney to be removed from the leadership position. Last week, Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who closely aligned himself with Trump, went to his hometown of Cheney, Wyoming, for a rally that denounced her. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., called Cheyenne at the event.
But it’s not clear enough Republicans would vote to remove Cheney.
McCarthy said that while he still supports her, she has to answer the conference. Any vote to remove it would be private and no one on either side will know who did what.
“There has never been a greater betrayal”
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was the highest-ranking Republican to call for Trump’s ouster, saying “there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States.” United States of his office and of his oath to the Constitution. ”
Photographer: Al Drago / Bloomberg
Cheney voted against ousting Trump in late 2019, but had other public breaks with the former president and Republican supporters of his House before last month’s ouster vote. These included disagreements over foreign policy, how Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic, and her support for a major provocateur to Republican Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.
Cheney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on McConnell’s remarks.
Some of the other nine House Republicans who voted for Trump’s accusation were also under pressure from within the party and from GOP officials in their home countries. They, as well as Cheney, may face primary challenges.
McConnell also issued a statement on another issue facing McCarthy and House Republicans: the provocative positions taken by Georgia’s Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. House Democrats are threatening to force a vote to remove Greene from his committee duties if Republicans fail to discipline her.
Although he did not name it specifically, McConnell said: “Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country.”