Liz Cheney and Elise Stefanik represent the way forward for the GOP

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New York Representative Elise Stefanik, who currently holds the No. 3 GOP leadership position, told a press conference this week that Americans deserve to know the “truth” about January 6, which is that “Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility, as Speaker of the House, for the tragedy” – even though she is not responsible for day-to-day security operations.

Hours later, her predecessor, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, sat alongside her fellow Democrats at the January 6 select committee hearing and agreed the country needs to hear the truth. But she had a very different view of what it might look like: “We have to overcome the many efforts we are already seeing to cover up and obscure the facts,” she said, shooting at her GOP colleagues. “No member of Congress should now attempt to defend the indefensible, obstruct this investigation, or whitewash what happened that day.”

The night-and-day contrast between current and former conference presidents – both of whom were dubbed Rising GOP stars early in their congressional careers – perfectly sums up the bitter rift in today’s Republican Party, where lawmakers are still vying for the direction of the post. -Trump GOP.

But a sign of the direction the party is taking, Stefanik is receiving high marks throughout the Republican Conference for his performance on the job so far. And Cheney, who had already been kicked out of leadership earlier this year for repeatedly criticizing Donald Trump for his election lies, now faces calls to be completely kicked out of the GOP conference – proof that those who embrace Trump are rewarded, while those who scold him are excommunicated from the GOP.

Stefanik declined to be interviewed through his office. But she made it clear what she felt for Cheney now – a woman Stefanik officially nominated for the position of conference chair in 2018 and 2020.

“[Cheney] is a Republican Pelosi, a Pelosi pawn at this point, ”Stefanik told Fox News’s Sean Hannity this week. “She does not represent the Republican Conference, nor the Republican voters, nor the American people. ”

Cheney served him right away. When introduced to Stefanik’s comments at the press conference earlier this week, Cheney told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “If I said the things you just played, I would be deeply ashamed of myself. ”

Cheney, however, said the fight is far more important than an internal leadership battle.

“We are clearly in a battle for the soul of the party. And I think it goes way beyond the Republican House Conference,” she told CNN on Thursday. It is about “whether our party will stand up for the truth”.

From moderate to MAGA

In recent years, Stefanik – who got her start in politics working for establishment GOP politicians – has gradually lost her image as a moderate New York Republican and fully assumed her role as Trump’s sidekick. Her defense of Trump during her first impeachment solidified her status as a Trump fan favorite and turned her into a fundraising powerhouse. And on January 6, she joined more than 120 of her Republican colleagues in the House to challenge the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

It’s no surprise, then, that since Stefanik took on her new leadership role in May, she’s been in perfect unity with the Trump-loving Republican conference. In fact, that was one of the reasons her colleagues elevated her to this role.

Stefanik, now the party’s most senior woman, voted along the party line on every bill that leaders have formally drafted, echoed the party talking points enthusiastically, and continued to hug Trump. This includes a recent visit to one of Trump’s resorts, where Stefanik and the former president posed for a photo together while raising their thumbs – something that has become a rite of passage among GOP leaders.

“Awesome. Elise is doing a great job,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus.

Republicans also praised Stefanik for increasing House GOP’s social media presence and seeking input from other members when crafting the party message, and then staying focused on that message. The conference chair is not only responsible for member services, but also for sending internal discussion points and weekly emails designed to put the group on the same page.

“The playcalls… and the work product make it look like they are the result of talking to others, instead of just unilaterally deciding what is best regardless of what the rest of the conference thinks.” said Representative Lee Zeldin, a colleague from New York. Republican.

During his leadership campaign, Stefanik faced skepticism from the far right about his conservative good faith. While Cheney voted with Trump 93% of the time, Stefanik only voted 78% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. But in at least one instance since becoming Republican No.3, she has voted to the right of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise: they both have voted to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol last month while Stefanik voted to keep them, even though she voted in the summer of 2020 in favor of removal.

Stefanik explained his change of stance in the face of growing calls to demolish statues in his home country. But it is also another example of how Stefanik fully addressed culture wars, an issue that has animated the base of the GOP.

“Elise keeps her head down and supports the Conference. And I think Liz was looking for controversy,” said Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado and member of the House Freedom Caucus. “I’m not sure how much (Stefanik) shares these values, but I think she does a good job reflecting the Conference.”

Cheney under fire

In stark contrast to the specter, Cheney rekindled his fierce feud with the Trump wing of the party after accepting a seat on Pelosi’s Jan.6 committee.

In Wyoming, the main pro-Trump challengers have already lined up to take out Cheney. But Trump, who thirsts for revenge after Cheney’s impeachment vote, is now seeking to support a single opponent to help solidify the anti-Cheney lane in the race. He even entertained a handful of suitors at his golf resort this week.

Meanwhile, in Washington, members of the House Freedom Caucus are stepping up pressure on McCarthy to change his house rules to facilitate his deportation as well as Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who also sits on the panel. January 6. They raised the issue directly with McCarthy and held a press conference on Thursday to continue hammering that drum.

The leadership, however, has shown little interest in punishing Cheney and Kinzinger. But Republican leaders – Stefanik included – had no problem racking up public criticism, calling the duo “Republicans Pelosi.”

But even though McCarthy bragged that the GOP was a “big tent” party after Cheney survived the first attempt to oust him from leadership, Republicans rejected the idea that pushing back criticism of Trump like Cheney and Kinzinger makes the party less inclusive.

“They have chosen to leave,” said Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, leader of the Freedom Caucus. “The big tent is still there.”

CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

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