Rep. Liz Cheney said she’s not going anywhere.
Shrugging off conservatives in her own party calling for her ouster as chairwoman of the House GOP Conference, the Wyoming Republican said her colleagues need to stay focused on defeating former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and the Democrats this fall.
“Whether or not we have debates and discussions internally, as I’m sure we will continue to do, we are going to be absolutely united going forward on the big issues and I’m not going anyplace,” the congresswoman said on “Fox and Friends.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, demanded she step down or be removed from leadership because, he said, she is insufficiently supportive of President Trump.
In a tense conference meeting this week, conservatives griped about Ms. Cheney, including her financial support for a primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican.
Ms. Cheney, the top-ranking female member of the House GOP leadership team, said there are a “wide range of views” in the conference and that the meeting had been more focused on what the country would look like if Mr. Biden is elected president and Democrats control the House and the Senate after the November elections.
She estimated that she votes with Mr. Trump about 97% of the time, though she acknowledged that they don’t always see eye-to-eye on issues tied to national security.
“I find, in my experience, the president appreciates people who are direct, people who explain what they think,” she said. “But I think most of the time, far more of the time, we agree than we disagree.”
Ms. Cheney is among the faction of Republicans who have criticized Mr. Trump for plans to draw down U.S. troops from Germany.
She said that she and Mr. Massie “had a nice long talk” on Tuesday.
“We are in a good place,” she said. “I made the point, actually, that President Trump was harder on Thomas Massie than I was.”
In March, Mr. Trump called for Mr. Massie to be thrown out of the GOP after the congressman had threatened to delay quick passage of a coronavirus relief bill.
Rep. Jim Jordan, a leading House conservative, tried to sidestep questions about Ms. Cheney on Wednesday, also saying that he’s focused on reelecting Mr. Trump.
“Matt Gaetz is a good friend, and Matt Gaetz wants President Trump to get reelected just as strongly as I do, just as strongly as everyone in the Republican conference does,” Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, said on Fox.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky also entered the House fray by criticizing Ms. Cheney’s foreign policy views.
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, weighed in on Twitter to back up Mr. Gaetz: “We already have one Mitt Romney, we don’t need another … we also don’t need the endless wars she advocates for.”
Ms. Cheney shot back: “Well, Donald Trump Jr. is not a member of the House Republican Conference.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stuck up for his lieutenant.
“We’re honored to have her as conference chair,” the California Republican said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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