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On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the latest Republican to give her a boost, saying in a statement to CNN that she had “the courage” to follow through on her beliefs in the wake of his vote to impeach Trump last month on a charge. he instigated the deadly insurgency that sacked Capitol Hill on January 6.
“Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them,” said McConnell. “She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the critical issues facing our nation.”
The statement comes as a cross-section of GOP lawmakers – from high-level Republicans in Senate leadership like his Wyoming Republican colleague Senator John Barrasso to some conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus like Representative Chip Roy of Texas – have publicly defended Cheney face to face. of the onslaught of Trump supporters eager to see her defeated. Last week, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, a close ally of Trump, traveled to Wyoming to rally against Cheney, with former president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. calling for the event and demanding defeat in next year’s primary.
On Capitol Hill, some Trump supporters are trying to oust him from his leadership, though it is far from clear that they have a majority in the House Republican Conference to be successful in this quest. Cheney’s vote to impeach Trump, along with the votes of nine other House Republicans, is expected to be a topic of conversation when the House GOP meets behind closed doors on Wednesday. Already, some Republicans who backed Trump’s impeachment have faced backlash at home, including South Carolina Representative Tom Rice, who was censored by his state party over the weekend.
McConnell, who voted last week with 44 of his Senate GOP colleagues to keep alive an effort to dismiss the Senate impeachment trial on constitutional grounds, privately told associates he believed Trump had committed impassable offenses, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
When asked by CNN last week if he thought Trump’s actions before the riot constituted ungodly conduct, McConnell dodged the question – and later said he was on a juror and would assess the arguments. But unlike House Republicans, most Senate Republicans distance themselves from Trump’s actions, even though they signal that they will vote to acquit on the grounds that they believe the Senate should not try a former president.
McConnell’s statement defending Cheney is more of a thorough defense than that offered by Republican House Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, who said he supports Cheney but said she should respond to their conference for his vote.
“Listen, I support her, but I also have concerns,” McCarthy said last month, days before heading to South Florida to visit the former president and say the two were united to try to take over the House next year.
McConnell has not spoken to Trump since December 15.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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