House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Republicans ousting of Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position shows that the GOP doesn’t welcome “courage, patriotism and integrity.”
She said Ms. Cheney, Wyoming Republican, was punished for displaying those honorable qualities.
“The Republican denial of the truth presented by Congresswoman Cheney is reflected in their denial of the need to seek the truth in a January 6th commission and to repair the damage of January 6th with a security supplemental immediately,” said Ms. Pelosi, California Democrat. “For the sake of our democracy, reasonable Republicans across the country must take back their party.”
House Republicans voted to remove Ms. Cheney from her post as the conference chairwoman because of her continued criticism of former President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud that help spur the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Ms. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she sees the Republican Party at a turning point. She warned that if the base continues to follow Mr. Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election will “do profound long-term damage to our party and our country.”
Her vocal opposition to Mr. Trump put her at odds with constituents back home in Wyoming, where 70% of voters backed the former president in the 2020 election.
Her anti-Trump stance and her vote to impeach him for the Jan. 6 riot also make her reelection in 2022 an uphill battle, according to Wyoming GOP officials.
After she voted to impeach Mr. Trump in January, Ms. Cheney held onto her leadership position despite backlash from the conservatives in the conference. Since then, she lost the backing of party leaders like House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, California Republican.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican, is expected to succeed Ms. Cheney as the conference chair. She has the support of Mr. Trump and Mr. McCarthy.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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