Donald Trump no longer has the intimidating chair of the White House or access to his Twitter account, but he still issues regular missives through his “Save America” political action committee.
“The fraudulent presidential election of 2020 will, from this day forward, be known as THE BIG LIE!” the former president said in a statement Monday morning, repeating false claims that presidential election was stolen from him.
Liz Cheney, the third Republican in the US House of Representatives, responded within an hour.
“The 2020 presidential election was not stolen,” she said on Twitter. “Anyone who claims this is the case is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their backs on the rule of law and poisoning our democratic system.”
The bitter back-and-forth six months after the election was the latest skirmish in a political party at war with Trump’s defeat, underscoring his enduring influence on the Republican Party.
“Those who hoped the fever would break after November 3, or after January 6, or after January 20, have so far been wrong,” said Bill Kristol, founder of conservative magazine Weekly Standard, referring to the date of the elections. the day crowds of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and the day Joe Biden took office as U.S. president.
“The hope that he would simply leave, the hope that we could just move on, the hope that it would become a parenthesis that would be closed when he left, this hope has been disappointed,” said Kristol. , a prominent Trump. critical.
Trump’s shadow hangs across the country. Mitt Romney, the United States Senator from Utah who voted to convict the former president in his two impeachment trials, was hooted at a rally of Republicans in Utah last week. In Arizona, state Republican Party officials continue to insist on a recount of the ballots despite several audits showing Biden beat Trump there.
Cheney’s position is likely to cost him a leadership position on Capitol Hill. After voting for to accuse Then president for her role in the Jan.6 siege, she survived a confidence vote among House Republicans in early February.
But other caucus members now expect to hold a second vote of confidence as early as next week – and get a different outcome.
“She’s toasting this time,” said a Republican congressional aide. “He’s just reached a breaking point.”
Cheney is a staunch conservative known for his hawkish views on foreign policy and a daughter of former US Vice President Dick Cheney. Since 2017, she has been the sole representative of Wyoming, a sparsely populated state in the western United States whose economy depends on coal mine, oil and gas drilling and tourism.
Over the past few months, she has fallen out with Kevin McCarthy, the House’s longest-serving Republican, over his repeated criticism of Trump.
McCarthy has sought to unite the party’s warring factions before the mid-term of next year, when Republicans attempt to regain control of both houses of Congress. Still, McCarthy made several public overtures to align himself with Trump, including visiting the former president at his resort town of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, shortly after Biden was sworn in.
On Tuesday, McCarthy said he was in favor of sacking his fellow party leadership.
“I’ve heard from members concerned about her ability to take over as conference chair, to get the message out,” McCarthy said. Fox news, the cable TV channel on the right. “We all have to work together if we can win the majority.”
Jeremy Adler, Cheney’s spokesperson, responded, “It’s a question of whether the Republican Party is going to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and attempt to whitewash what happened on January 6. Liz won’t. This is the problem. “
The Axios website later reported that McCarthy was taped off-camera on a “hot mic” telling Fox News host Steve Doocy that he had “lost faith” in Cheney.
“I think she has real issues,” McCarthy said, according to Axios. “I had it with her.
Cheney has supporters in Washington and Wyoming. Congresswoman raised a hefty $ 1.54 million in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest filings from the Federal Election Commission – its biggest quarterly harvest since his first congressional campaign, signaling that a segment of Republican donors are poised to leave the Trump era.
“The GOP is at this crossroads and we all see it and feel it,” said Amy Edmonds, a former Wyoming state Republican lawmaker who has worked for Cheney in the past. “Are we going to build next year on lies and not face the truth?” Or are we going to tell the truth and address the important political issues? “
“Sadly, it looks like Kevin McCarthy has decided he wants to continue lying to our constituents, and I fear we will be in the electoral wilderness for four years if that happens,” she added.
Mark Gordon, Republican Governor of Wyoming, told the Financial Times: “Liz has always voted her conscience and I respect her for it.” His spokesperson said he thought having Cheney in the Republican leadership was an asset for Wyoming.
Cheney will likely face a difficult path to next year’s midterm election. The congressman will first have to defeat at least four challengers in the Republican primary and avoid attacks from the party in her home state, which censored her for her impeachment vote.
Frank Luntz, the Republican poll veteran, said Cheney’s case illustrated the cracks within the party at large, both on Capitol Hill and among voters.
“It’s one of the main dividing lines,” Luntz said. “Do you support Donald Trump’s baseless claims? Otherwise, there are people in the Republican Party who see you as a traitor.
Additional reporting by Derek Brower
Marsh Notes
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