Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) attends a Congressional ceremony honoring the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who will be held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC on February 3, 2021.
Erin Schaff | Reuters
GOP MP Liz Cheney, likely stripped of leadership by her Republican counterparts, has no plans to end former President Donald Trump’s explosion for repeating the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Cheney, a staunch Conservative, has told key donors and supporters behind the scenes that she will continue to hold Trump and the Republican Party responsible for what she called the “big lie,” these people said.
Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, was also involved in those talks, people said.
These people declined to be included in this story to discuss any private matter.
That attitude is likely to cost Liz Cheney her place as the GOP conference leader in the house. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Chairman, R-Calif., Has told members to expect a vote on Wednesday to remove Cheney from the position. Elise Stefanik MP, RN.Y. is in line to take this post. Trump, who fooled Cheney as a “warmonger”, recommended Stefanik for the role.
During a call with her allies and top donors late last month, Cheney said she had no intention of withdrawing from Trump, according to one of the people with direct knowledge of the matter. She has publicly linked Trump’s false claims about the election to the deadly January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
Cheney, like every other member of the House, is up for re-election next year. Numerous Republicans have announced primary campaigns against them.
Cheney was one of ten Republicans in the House who voted to indict Trump in the weeks following the deadly riot. Many of their top donors told CNBC last week that despite the Republicans move to oust them from their leadership roles, they would like to stay with Cheney.
The April appeal included a small group of supporters, including former Vice President Cheney, one person said. While Dick Cheney was involved in his daughter’s campaigns in the past, he is now in the midst of the battle over a party he once led with former President George W. Bush.
According to people familiar with the appeal and other recent private meetings with him, Dick Cheney has indicated that he supports his daughter’s stance on Trump and the Capitol uprising.
The April discussion came before the Republicans withdrew and before McCarthy publicly targeted Cheney in an interview with Fox News and other cases.
Liz Cheney recently told allies in several private meetings that she is likely to speak about Trump’s campaign claims. She has also acknowledged that convincing at least some Republicans in her state that Trump’s claims are, in fact, lies could be a challenge.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney watches as his daughter, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Takes the oath of office on the floor of the house on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
Bill Clark | CQ Appeal, Inc. | Getty Images
Trump defeated Democrat Joe Biden in Wyoming by over 43 percentage points in 2020. Cheney was recently censored by the Wyoming Republican Party for her voice on charges against Trump.
Liz Cheney and Trump officials have not returned requests for comment. Wyoming lawmakers recently wrote a comment in the Washington Post urging the party to deviate from Trump.
“We Republicans must stand up for genuinely conservative principles and turn away from the dangerous and anti-democratic Trump personality cult,” Cheney wrote.
However, the apparent unity between Cheney, her father, and her coworkers against Trump and his policies is an attempt to maintain the power of a section of the Republican Party that appears to have lost influence in a party largely led by the former commander Boss.
Dick Cheney has not publicly condemned Trump’s stance on the election. People close to him say there is no sign that he is actively campaigning for members of Congress to help his daughter keep her leadership position.
According to Politico, Liz Cheney herself has not made any calls to other Republican officials who could help maintain her position as GOP chairman of the House.
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