Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said former Rep. Liz Cheney is in a party of one when it comes to opposing former President Donald Trump.
“I do think she actually is significantly in the minority here. You look across the board, prominent Republicans are supporting President Trump,” Ms. Sanders said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
“But ultimately, I think she’s a non-factor. I’m not trying to be rude, but you don’t get to call yourself a conservative or Republican when you support the most radical nominee that the Democrats have ever put up,” she said. “That doesn’t make you a conservative. It certainly doesn’t make you a Republican. I think it makes you somebody who wants to protect the establishment.”
Ms. Sanders served as a White House press secretary during Mr. Trump’s administration.
Ms. Cheney, Wyoming Republican, is a vocal critic of the former president. She has said she will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, said over the weekend that he also would vote for Ms. Harris.
“Frankly, I don’t think this is news. It should come as no shock that Liz Cheney is not supporting the president,” Ms. Sanders said. “But what should come as a shock is that she is trying to call herself a conservative Republican or either one of those two words while supporting somebody who so clearly does not represent conservative principles.”
Ms. Cheney first started speaking out against Mr. Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. She said she would vote for Ms. Harris last week during an event at Duke University.
“I think it is crucially important for people to recognize, not only is what I just said about the danger that Trump poses something that should prevent people from voting for him, but I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Ms. Cheney said.
“And as a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,” she said.
Ms. Cheney isn’t the only Republican to support Ms. Harris. Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan have also expressed their dislike of Mr. Trump and have spoken in support of Ms. Harris.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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