Dick Cheney: Family feud over gay marriage has been ‘dealt with’

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said this week that the family feud between his daughters over gay marriage has been “dealt with.”

Mr. Cheney said he was surprised that his daughter Mary, who is a lesbian and married to a woman, aimed fire at Liz, who is running for the Senate in Wyoming and opposes gay marriage, ABC News reported.

“We were surprised that there was an attack launched against Liz on Facebook and wished it hadn’t happened,” Mr. Cheney said at the National Press Club, ABC News reported. “It’s always been dealt with within the context of the family and frankly that’s our preference.”

The spat between Mr. Cheney’s two daughters flared up last month after Liz defended herself on Fox News Sunday against allegations that she supported same-sex marriage, saying she supported traditional marriage.

She said she does not support amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and the issue should be left to the states to decide.

“I love Mary very much, I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree,” Liz said.

Mary fired back via Facebook, saying “Liz — this isn’t just an issue on which we disagree — you’re just wrong — and on the wrong side of history.”

In another Facebook post, Mary’s wife Heather Poe said, “Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 — she didn’t hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us.”

“To have her now say she doesn’t support our right to marry is offensive to say the least,” she wrote.

Mr. Cheney and his wife, Lynne, eventually weighed in on the spat.

“This is an issue we have dealt with privately for many years, and we are pained to see it become public. Since it has, one thing should be clear. Liz has always believed in the traditional definition of marriage,” the vice president and his wife said in a statement on Monday. “She has also always treated her sister and her sister’s family with love and respect, exactly as she should have done. Compassion is called for, even when there is disagreement about such a fundamental matter and Liz’s many kindnesses shouldn’t be used to distort her position.”