Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) was slammed on Wednesday morning following remarks that she made during a press conference in which she attacked former President Donald Trump, a move that visibly irritated top Republican House leaders present at the event.
The remarks come as the political left has sought to divide the Republican Party by continuing to press GOP officials about where they stand on Trump moving forward.
A reporter at the news conference asked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy if Trump should be speaking at CPAC, to which McCarthy responded: “Yes, he should.”
That reporter then turned to Cheney for a reaction to the same question, to which Cheney responded: “That’s up to CPAC.”
Cheney continued, “I’ve been clear in my views about President Trump and the extent to which following January 6th, I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country.”
As she made the remarks, a look of discomfort could be seen on McCarthy’s face and, at the very end of her remarks, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise could be seen briefly shaking his head. McCarthy immediately concluded the press conference following Cheney’s remarks, saying, “On that high note, thank you very much.”
Q: Do you believe former President Trump should speaking at CPAC?@GOPLeader: "Yes he should."@RepLizCheney: "That's up to CPAC….I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country."
McCarthy: "On that high note, thank you very much." pic.twitter.com/ZOkTUbpQCP
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 24, 2021
Cheney’s remarks contradicting McCarthy’s statement come after McCarthy recently backed Cheney while other Republican lawmakers sought to remove her from a leadership position in the Republican Party following her vote to impeach Trump over the events that unfolded on January 6.
McCarthy “offered a full-throated defense of Cheney and made the case for her to stay in leadership — a critical boost for the Wyoming Republican,” Politico reported. The report made clear that the goal of Republican leaders was to “put the Cheney chapter behind them and finally rally around a common goal: countering the Biden agenda and climbing their way back to power.”
Donald Trump Jr. blasted Cheney following her remarks, writing on Twitter: “Liz Cheney knows she can’t get reelected in Wyoming because the people there hate her, so she’s trying hard to make sure her new friends at CNN will hire her once she loses her primary. #LincolnProjectLiz is less popular with Republicans than Andrew Cuomo is at nursing homes!!!”
Liz Cheney knows she can't get reelected in Wyoming because the people there hate her, so she's trying hard to make sure her new friends at CNN will hire her once she loses her primary. #LincolnProjectLiz is less popular with Republicans than Andrew Cuomo is at nursing homes!!! https://t.co/IBZkim3YgI
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 24, 2021
Ned Ryun responded to Cheney’s remarks by writing: “I hope she enjoys her last term in office.”
I hope she enjoys her last term in office. https://t.co/MvyBmcV0z3
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) February 24, 2021
Former Trump adviser Steve Cortes added: “We need to remove any Republican establishment legacy office holders who continue to support Cheney as she disparages Trump and our movement. Time for Leader McCarthy to actually act like a leader.”
We need to remove any Republican establishment legacy office holders who continue to support Cheney as she disparages Trump and our movement. Time for Leader McCarthy to actually act like a leader… https://t.co/16wSDsPXXt
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) February 24, 2021
Some conservatives who largely been Trump supporters over the past few years showed some surprising support for Cheney’s remarks.
Strategist David Reaboi wrote on Twitter: “I actually mostly agree with Liz Cheney here, but for opposite reasons: even after all this time, Trump hasn’t learned who his friends and enemies are—and we’ve seen how dangerous that can be.”