House Republicans by voice vote on Wednesday ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from her position as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference in response to her vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump.
Republicans took the vote in a closed-door, weekly meeting and followed with a debate on who should replace Cheney. The front-runner, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, has the backing of top leaders Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, and Steve Scalise, the minority whip. Stefanik has also won over Rep. Jim Jordan, a key conservative. All three men are staunch Trump supporters and view Stefanik as a gifted communicator who can unite the party and not instigate a public battle with Trump.
Trump has endorsed Stefanik in a statement, calling her “a tough and smart communicator.” She served as one of his chief defenders during the former president’s first impeachment trial and continues to back him. Stefanik recently told Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast that the GOP is “growing the party, and we are building off the Make America Great Again movement.”
Republicans said Cheney’s removal was ultimately tied not to her opposition to Trump, but rather her decision to use her leadership post to criticize the former president, both before the election and after.
Cheney on Tuesday gave a defiant speech on the House floor, defending her opposition to Trump and his insistence that the 2020 election was rigged in favor of President Joe Biden.
“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,” Cheney said. “I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.”
Cheney told reporters she plans to continue to take on Trump and will play a role in leading the party away from him.
But Republican lawmakers say Cheney’s actions have hurt efforts to unify the conference and divert attention away from efforts to recapture the House majority in 2022.
Cheney’s opponents in the conference also cited her opposing views on foreign and domestic policy. She called a key Republican Study Committee memo charting a course for the party to win over working-class voters “neo-Marxist.” She also opposes a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was a goal of the Trump administration and many House Republicans who want resources sent back to the United States.
Cheney aides said her opposition to the memo, authored by RSC Chairman Jim Banks of Indiana, reflected her view that the party should court all voters and not divide them into groups.
But Republicans this week said they were tired of the infighting and that it is time to move on without Cheney.
“The problem is you can’t have a Republican conference chair who continually recites Democrat talking points,” Jordan told reporters Tuesday. “You can’t have a Republican conference chair who takes positions that 90% of the party oppose. And you can’t have a Republican conference chair in the run-up to the election who continually went after our nominee, the president of the United States, the Republican president. I just don’t see how that’s helpful.”
As Republicans assembled Wednesday to decide Cheney’s fate, Trump issued a statement declaring the House Republicans “have a great opportunity today to rid themselves of a poor leader, a major Democrat talking point, a warmonger, and a person with absolutely no personality or heart.”
Cheney was among 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on the charge that he incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While there are other Republicans who also hope to steer the party away from Trump, many in the conference have stayed quiet about the former president. Trump has remained active in party politics from his home base in Palm Beach, Florida, and lawmakers anticipate that he will play a significant role in influencing the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections.
