Sen. Joni Ernst faulted “cancel culture” for the GOP’s recent maneuver to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership post.
On Monday, the Iowa Republican said, “There are those that are trying to silence others in the party,” pointing to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s stated support for removing Cheney from her position following her frequent remarks critical of former President Donald Trump.
“I feel it’s OK to go ahead and express what you feel is right to express and, you know, cancel culture is cancel culture no matter how you look at it,” Ernst told reporters when asked about Cheney’s likely ouster.
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Ernst said she supports ideological diversity, pointing out that while she herself remains a Trump supporter, she believes the GOP “shouldn’t be trying to cancel voices.”
“What we can do is come together and try to win seats in 2022. I think that’s what all of us should be focused on,” she added, according to multiple outlets.
While Cheney survived a Feb. 3 referendum from the House GOP caucus on whether she should retain her leadership role by a margin of 145-61, a second vote has been set for Wednesday.
McCarthy, Trump, and Minority Whip Steve Scalise have come out in favor of Cheney’s removal, citing the need for change. All three have backed 36-year-old Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican who’s “strongly committed” to reclaiming the speaker’s gavel in 2022, according to Scalise.
“I think she’s got real problems,” McCarthy told Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy regarding Cheney in an alleged hot mic moment last week. “I’ve had it with her. You know, I’ve lost confidence. … Well, someone just has to bring a motion, but I assume that will probably take place.”
On Wednesday, Trump said Stefanik was the “far superior” choice.
“Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership,” he wrote in a tweemail. “We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!”
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. He was later acquitted by the Senate. Trump was previously impeached in the House on two Ukraine-related charges in 2019 before he was acquitted in the Senate.
The two have had a volley of words ever since, with Cheney saying Trump was no longer the leader of the GOP and refusing to back a potential 2024 presidential bid. Trump vowed to endorse a primary challenge to Cheney ahead of her 2022 reelection campaign.
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Despite attracting criticism from within her own party, some Republicans have defended Cheney. Ernst, Sen. Mitt Romney, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are among the Republicans publicly vouching for Cheney, arguing that removing her from leadership due to her controversial views would amount to silencing dissent.
Representatives for Ernst did not immediately reply to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
