Liz Cheney Says GOP Is At ‘Turning Point’

Liz Cheney could soon be replaced as Conference chair

Rep. Andy Biggs explains why top Republicans are considering Liz Cheney's removal from leadership.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said on Monday her party cannot accept the "poison" of the idea that the 2020 election was stolen and should not "whitewash" the January 6 Capitol riot -- and Donald Trump's role in fomenting it.

"We can't embrace the notion the election is stolen. It's a poison in the bloodstream of our democracy," Cheney said, speaking behind closed doors at a conference in Sea Island, Georgia. "We can't whitewash what happened on January 6 or perpetuate Trump's big lie. It is a threat to democracy. What he did on January 6 is a line that cannot be crossed."

Cheney made her comments, confirmed to CNN by two people in the room, during an off-the-record interview with former House Speaker Paul Ryan before a crowd of donors and scholars at the annual retreat for the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

Cheney also called the Constitution "our shield" and said a "peaceful transfer of power must be defended."



McCarthy 'furious' at Cheney
Cheney's break with Trump has led to an escalating conflict with the Republican minority leader, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who has been trying to get back into Trump's good graces. While the House Republican conference voted in February 145 to 61 in favor of keeping Cheney on the leadership team, McCarthy last week refused to answer when asked whether she remained a good fit as the conference chair.

As the top House Republican, McCarthy has the power to call for a quick vote that would effectively seek Cheney's removal from his leadership team and could do so as soon as next week. But it's unclear if he will do that, according to multiple House GOP sources.

Nevertheless, multiple Republican lawmakers and aides tell CNN that Cheney is on very shaky ground internally.

One House GOP lawmaker, who voted to keep Cheney in her post in February, said after speaking with many of his colleagues, it's clear that Cheney has "less (support) than she thinks" within the House GOP conference. Cheney's outspoken criticism of Trump has led some House Republicans to accuse her of dividing the conference and distracting from the party's goals.

When Cheney easily survived the vote in February, McCarthy came to her defense and called on the House GOP conference to keep her in the spot in a speech delivered behind closed doors. This time, however, could be different. A House GOP source who has been in contact with McCarthy said the GOP leader has been "furious" at her for weeks amid her comments about Trump.
Cheney's uphill