Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
World
Home / World / Americas

Liz Cheney ousted from House GOP leadership over anti-Trump stance

By HENG WEILI in New York | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-05-13 11:03
Share
Share - WeChat
US Representative Liz Cheney speaks to reporters after her removal as chair of the House Republican Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 12, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

The removal of Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney from a House leadership position Wednesday certified the hold that former president Donald Trump has on the GOP.

Republican lawmakers meeting behind closed doors took fewer than 20 minutes and a voice vote to oust the Wyoming representative as the No 3 GOP member in the House, The Associated Press reported.

Cheney, 54, a persistent critic of Trump, was defiant and said she plans to seek re-election next year for a fourth two-year term as the only House member representing Wyoming.

She will face primary challenges in a state that Trump won with about 70 percent of the vote last year.

"We must go forward based on truth. We cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the Constitution," Cheney said, referring to Trump's claims about fraud in the Nov 3 election that he lost to President Joe Biden.

In a statement Wednesday, Trump called Cheney "a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party.

"She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our Country. She is a talking point for Democrats, whether that means the Border, the gas lines, inflation, or destroying our economy. She is a warmonger whose family stupidly pushed us into the never-ending Middle East Disaster, draining our wealth and depleting our Great Military, the worst decision in our Country's history."

Trump said he looks forward "to soon watching her as a Paid Contributor on CNN or MSDNC!".

Cheney - the daughter of Dick Cheney, who was vice-president during George W. Bush's presidency from 2001 to 2009 - has depicted Trump as a threat to American democracy.

"I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office," Cheney told reporters.

Cheney voted with the Democrats in January when the House impeached Trump on a charge of inciting insurrection at the Capitol on Jan 6.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has said that Republicans should avoid criticizing Trump as they try to regain control of Congress in 2022.

But Cheney said, "We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language."

"What happened today was sad," said Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and Trump critic who was one of the few in the GOP to publicly defend Cheney. "Liz committed the only sin of being consistent and telling the truth. The truth is that the election was not stolen," he said.

"You can't have a conference chair who recites Democrat talking points," said Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said, "Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity. Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican Party."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that it is "disturbing to see any leader, regardless of party, being attacked for simply speaking the truth. And as the president said last week, it is hard to understand."

"Whatever the rest of the country thinks or whatever his opponents in the news media think, he (Trump) believes that he lost the White House illegitimately, and that's a pretty big grudge, so I don't think he's going to give up that sense of grievance very easily," said former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

Representative Elise Stefanik of New York has been backed by Trump and McCarthy to succeed Cheney as party conference chair.

Stefanik, who defended Trump during impeachment proceedings, has faced criticism from some Republicans over her voting record.  GOP members of the House will vote on her nomination Friday, Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas told reporters, Reuters reported.

This week, more than 100 Republicans will release a letter threatening to form a third party if the GOP doesn't address certain issues, according to an organizer of the effort, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

"When in our democratic republic, forces of conspiracy, division, and despotism arise, it is the patriotic duty of citizens to act collectively in defense of liberty and justice," says the statement, expected to be released on Thursday.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US