Sen. Mitt Romney warned Monday removing Rep. Liz Cheney from GOP leadership in the House will drive voters away from the Republican Party.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plans to hold a vote Wednesday to oust Ms. Cheney as House conference chair.
“Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won’t gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few,” Mr. Romney said on Twitter.
Mr. Romney is the sole Republican in the Senate to vote to convict Mr. Trump on an abuse-of-power charge following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Ms. Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was among the 10 Republicans in the House to vote in favor of impeaching Mr. Trump for inciting the mayhem.
Ms. Cheney has argued that the Republican Party must move on from Mr. Trump after the GOP lost the White House and both chambers of Congress on his watch.
Ms. Cheney says the party must put a renewed focus on the conservative policies that could help bolster the party’s brand with voters.
She is on the verge of losing her position as House conference chair over her unwillingness to tone down her criticism of Mr. Trump and his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Mr. McCarthy and House Whip Steve Scalise want to keep Mr. Trump on their good side heading into the 2022 midterm elections where they are looking to flip control of the House.
Mr. McCarthy says members of the GOP conference have raised concerns about Ms. Cheney’s ability to carry out the duties of her post, and says she is making it hard for the GOP to stay on message and project unity.
“Unfortunately, each day spent litigating the past is one day less we have to seize the future,” Mr. McCarthy said in a letter to his 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,” he said. “The states are too high to come up short.”
SEE ALSO: History As It Happens: Liz Cheney and the future of conservatism
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York appears poised to replace Ms. Cheney.
Mr. Trump endorsed Ms. Stefanik and repeatedly criticized Ms. Cheney.
“The House GOP has a massive opportunity to upgrade this week from warmonger Liz Cheney to gifted communicator Elise Stefanik,” Mr. Trump said in a statement Monday. “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!”
Mr. Trump has vowed to help defeat Ms. Cheney in the GOP primary next year.
Mr. Trump also has slammed on Mr. Romney — including on Monday when he issued a statement highlighting the fact that Mr. Romney was booed at the recent Utah Republican Party convention and censured over the weekend by the Weber County GOP.
“Washington County Republicans also censured Romney in April,” Mr. Trump said. “He is BAD NEWS for our Country!”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.