Liz Cheney calls Kevin McCarthy ‘pathetic’ for considering Trump position

Former Rep. Liz Cheney said Rep. Kevin McCarthy is “pathetic” for saying he would consider a spot in the Trump administration if he gets elected.

“I can’t explain it,” Ms. Cheney said Monday on MSNBC. “It’s pathetic. There’s sort of an element of — it doesn’t really matter what Donald Trump has done to the country, what Donald Trump has done to the Congress, Donald Trump has done to Kevin McCarthy.”

Ms. Cheney, who represented Wyoming as a Republican before her landslide loss last year, was reacting to an interview Mr. McCarthy had on “CBS Sunday Morning” where he endorsed former President Donald Trump and said he would join his White House team.

“In the right position,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Look, if I’m the best person for the job, yes.”

Ms. Cheney contended that Mr. McCarthy would be “going back for more” if he took such a job. He has already announced he will leave Congress at the end of this month.

“I think it’s sad, but I also think history’s going to show that Kevin’s unwillingness to do the right thing and, you know, sort of each time that decision came, did real damage,” she said.

The Washington Times reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Mr. McCarthy has always been a supporter of the former president, but in 2021 he also said Mr. Trump “bears the responsibility” for the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol. He later walked back his comment, saying “everybody in the country” was responsible.

He said on the CBS show that he told Mr. Trump his campaign needs to be about “rebuilding, restoring, renewing America. It can’t be about revenge.”