Top allies of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are reportedly planning to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, by the end of the month because she refuses to put the party first while she continues to harp on former President Donald Trump.
“There is no way that Liz will be conference chair by month’s end,” a top McCarthy ally said on Monday. “When there is a vote, it won’t be a long conference; it will be fast. Everyone knows the outcome.”
“She is a big distraction,” the ally said. “I don’t see McCarthy saving her this time.”
“This is a broad range of lawmakers who have had it with her,” a second McCarthy ally said. “She’s a liability, and McCarthy’s as fed up as the rest of us that she is focused on the past rather than winning back the House.”
Cheney attacked Trump on Monday in response to a statement that Trump sent out via email, since he is not currently on any social media platform and thus his reach has been significantly reduced.
Trump responded on Monday afternoon:
Heartwarming to read new polls on big-shot warmonger Liz Cheney of the great State of Wyoming. She is so low that her only chance would be if vast numbers of people run against her which, hopefully, won’t happen. They never liked her much, but I say she’ll never run in a Wyoming election again!
Over the past several months, Cheney has seemingly focused more on attacking her own party instead of focusing on opposing President Joe Biden’s far-left agenda. Cheney even refused in a recent interview to rule out running for president in 2024, which was met with widespread mockery.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, slammed Cheney’s remarks at the GOP retreat in Orlando, Florida, last week, saying that she was not focused on what mattered because she was focused on attacking Trump.
“That’s what we got out of Liz Cheney, which doesn’t help us remain focused on that single goal,” Banks said. “Her lack of focus on that, while being focused on other things, and proving her point, was an unwelcome distraction. The sort of sideline distractions at the GOP retreat will only serve to hold us back from being focused on that nearly unanimous goal we have as a conference.”
Politico reported early on Tuesday morning the efforts that Banks is undertaking to move himself into position to overtake Cheney’s spot should Republican lawmakers move to oust her.
“On Banks’ watch, the RSC has begun blasting out weekly newsletters modeled after POLITICO Playbook that try to serve up a buzzy mix of politics, policy and personality,” Politico reported. “Banks crafted his own memo outlining his vision for the GOP’s future that won praise from top Republicans. And the RSC has also helped coordinate media opportunities for its members, with Banks routinely popping up in D.C.-based coverage himself.”