Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney vowed not to vote for California Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker if the GOP were to win the majority in 2022.
Cheney, a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, was ousted from her role as conference chairwoman before New York Rep. Elise Stefanik was elected to fill the void Friday. Cheney and McCarthy have butted heads in the past, as the House minority leader spearheaded the vote to remove her May 12.
“I think that we’ve got to have leaders who lead based on principle, and that’s not what we’ve seen from [McCarthy],” Cheney told Politico.
Cheney, who belongs to a handful of House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president, remained in Congress despite backlash from Trump loyalists.
LIZ CHENEY SAYS THERE’S ‘NO QUESTION’ EVENTS SIMILAR TO JAN. 6 COULD HAPPEN AGAIN
“I’m really glad that I decided to stay in the House,” Cheney said. “As we’re engaging in these battles about principles and the future and standing up for truth, I think that these battles really are being fought out in the House.”
“When you look at history, it’s individuals who make a difference,” she continued. “And I feel really honored to be able to stand up and speak on these issues that I think are going to determine the future of the country and the future of our democracy.”
Cheney told reporters Sunday there is “no question” events similar to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could occur again so long as Trump is in the political field.
“I mean, you know, we’ve now seen the consequences,” Cheney said on ABC News. “We’ve seen how far the president, President Donald Trump, was willing to go. We’ve seen not only his provocation of the attack, but his refusal to send help when it was needed, his refusal to immediately say, ‘Stop.’ And that in and of itself, in my view, was a very clear violation of his oath and his duty.”
Stefanik’s appointment to fill Cheney’s post was “dangerous,” she added, saying Trump’s election fraud claims play into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.
“I think it’s dangerous,” she said. “I think that — that we have to recognize how quickly things can unravel. We have to recognize what it means for the nation to have a former president who has not conceded and who continues to suggest that our electoral system cannot function, cannot do the will of the people. To cause that kind of questioning about our process, frankly, it’s the same kinds of things that the Chinese Communist Party says about democracy: That it’s a failed system, that America is a failed nation.”
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Stefanik quipped that Cheney’s constant attacks on the former president were “looking backwards.”
“She is looking backwards,” Stefanik said. “Republicans are looking forward. We are unified. And we are talking about conservative principles.”
