Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday said former President Donald Trump is “dividing” the GOP and indicated that Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney should not be removed from her post as conference chairwoman.
Hutchinson, a Republican and an outspoken Trump critic, threw his support behind Cheney after conservative leadership announced a closed-door vote to decide whether to oust her on Wednesday. Cheney voted in favor of moving forward with Trump’s second impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and has appeared to feud with the former president since he departed the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
“Well, more importantly, the message should be to the Republican Party and our leadership: Whenever we do not have the president in power from our party, you have divided leadership, you have many different voices, and former President Trump is dividing our party, and so it’s important we not unite with someone who is dividing our party,” Hutchinson said during a segment of CNN’s New Day.
ARKANSAS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR VOWS NOT TO SUPPORT TRUMP IF HE DECIDES TO RUN IN 2024
“And so I don’t believe Liz Cheney should be ousted for a vote of conscience,” he continued. “I believe we need to concentrate on more things that bring us together than to separate us, and going to see former President Trump, to me, causes more division than anything else.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has been a leading voice in criticism focused on Cheney.
“Having heard from so many of you in recent days, it is clear we need to make a change,” he wrote on Monday of his decision to hold a vote against her.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who supports Trump, is expected to garner enough votes to succeed the Wyoming Republican. Last week, Trump endorsed Stefanik, and he called her the “far superior choice.”
“Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership,” the former president wrote in a statement. “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!”
Despite the endorsement, opposition to the vote has continued to swirl in the GOP. On Monday, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted, “Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won’t gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few.”
In the past, Hutchinson, similar to a handful of other Republicans, has vowed not to support Trump if he were to be the 2024 Republican nominee for president.
“No, I wouldn’t,” he told CNN on Feb. 21 when asked if he planned to back Trump in a possible bid for the presidency. “He’s got a good family. I’ve worked with Ivanka and others, and they love America, but I would not support him for reelection in 2024.”
“We can’t let [Trump] define us for the future because that would further divide our country, and it would hurt our Republican Party,” he continued.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In late April, Cheney told the Washington Examiner that she doesn’t believe Trump would be able to secure the 2024 nomination.
“I don’t think that that’s going to happen,” she said. “And I think it’s important that it not happen, given what he did.”
