House Republicans split as some members try to oust Liz Cheney



[ad_1]

House Republicans face internal debate over whether to remove Representative Liz Cheney from her leadership post after she voted to remove former President Trump for inciting the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill. The debate has become so bitter that some Republicans fear it will prevent the conference from offering a united front against President Biden’s new policies.

Republican Representatives Matt Rosendale of Montana and Andy Biggs of Arizona are among the members rallying support from their colleagues to vote for a resolution removing the Republican of Wyoming as GOP conference chair. Sources close to the effort say more than 115 of 211 Republicans would vote to impeach her, though they declined to share the list.

A Republican staff member expressed skepticism about the numbers, telling CBS News, “I want to see the proof. Show me the list.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP Whip Steve Scalise, who were re-elected to their posts with Cheney in November, have publicly backed their colleague. But in an interview with Greta Van Susteren that aired Sunday, McCarthy said Cheney had not shared his position with him in advance and that he had “concerns” that Cheney must address ahead of the conference.

“She may have a difference of opinion, but the only thing if we want to lead the conference, we should work together on this conference as a whole because we are representative of this conference,” McCarthy said.

Congress Republicans
Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy, center, flanked by GOP Conference Chair Representative Liz Cheney, left, and Minority House Whip Steve Scalise, right, s address to reporters following their 117th Congress leadership election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP


Cheney remained defiant throughout the process, telling reporters on the day of the impeachment vote: “I’m not going anywhere.” Asked about the threat of removal in a Fox News interview on Thursday, she said there would be discussions about the process, but added: “I foresee and have confidence that we will be united as a conference at the future. We recognize how important it is to make sure we stand up and fight against the policies of the Biden administration. ”

The highest-ranked woman in the conference, Cheney has been seen as a potential future House leader – especially when she missed the chance to run for an open Senate seat in Wyoming last year. Now she drew three main challengers for her seat in the House, including Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard, who said her impeachment vote “shows just how out of touch she is with Wyoming.”

Cheney was the most prominent and highest ranking of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president. After making the announcement, Rosendale called on her to step down, saying she “did not consult the Conference, did not respect the spirit of the Republican Conference rules and ignored the preferences of Republican voters.” .

The main irritant for Republicans backing the removal effort was Cheney’s decision to announce his position the day before the vote, a source familiar with efforts to remove Cheney from his leadership position on CBS News said. Throughout the debate the next day, House Democrats quoted from him.

“We had an impeachment vote that week and the night before the impeachment vote the conference chairman released the statement which was used as a stick by Democrats all day … there was a extreme level of frustration, ”the source said.

Republican House leadership speaks to media after conference meeting
Representative Liz Cheney speaks during a press conference with other Republican members of the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill July 21, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Samuel Corum / Getty Images


More than a dozen Republicans, including senior members of the conference, publicly supported his decision. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his removal “sends the wrong message” after McCarthy told House Republicans they should vote their conscience on impeachment.

“For now, we should focus on preventing President Biden from enacting some of his more liberal agenda items, including returning the Paris Climate Agreement and stopping building on the Keystone pipeline, instead of bickering, ”he added.

Even Texas Rep. Chip Roy – who is part of the House Freedom Caucus with some of the members working on Cheney’s impeachment – was by his side. “Liz should be commended, not condemned, for standing up for the Constitution and staying true to her beliefs,” he said.

Impeaching Cheney as conference chair would require a multi-step process. First, his critics would need to collect the signatures of at least 43 members – 20% of the caucus – to call a special Republican conference meeting. There they could present a resolution to remove her from her job. If two-thirds of Republicans in the House agree, they could go straight to a vote on the resolution.

Otherwise, McCarthy could send the resolution to one of the House’s internal GOP committees – which would include some members of management – for a decision. If they report a favorable recommendation on the resolution, it goes to the conference for a secret ballot. If they flag an unfavorable recommendation, the resolution will collapse and die.

While leadership support is likely to help Cheney keep her job, it is feared that allowing the effort to fire her to go this far has emboldened the far-right in the caucus and prevents the GOP to present a united front against Biden.

“This is the wrong message to send to women, this is the wrong message to send to our freshmen,” said a Republican staff member who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. The staff member said any success in ousting Cheney from the leadership would mean members that they could face the main challenges their colleagues are pushing for if they don’t respect conservative orthodoxy.

“You give them an inch, they’re going to take a mile. If he gives them that, what happens next? said the staff member.

Arden Farhi contributed reporting.

[ad_2]

Source link