Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) has been slammed by multiple members of the GOP’s Freedom Caucus, as well as by Donald Trump Jr., for breaking with the president on multiple issues – winning her warm accolades from the left.
During an in-person conference between various Republican representatives on Tuesday, Cheney came under fire from her own political party. Sources in the closed meeting reported that Ohio’s Rep. Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and one of the president’s more loyal supporters, listed off all the times Cheney has publicly broken ranks with President Donald Trump, including on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his tweeting, as well as on foreign policy.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) reportedly targeted Cheney for endorsing an opponent to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), whom she was seen speaking with on the House floor following the meeting.
Though Cheney would not directly answer journalists’ questions about comments made to her at the conference, several Republicans went public soon after with their critiques of the congresswoman.
Rep. Matt Gaetz called for her to “step down or be removed” as Chair of the House Republican Conference, while Donald Trump Jr. compared her unfavorably to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of the president’s fiercest rivals within the Republican Party.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), one of the more Libertarian-leaning politicians, also targeted Cheney and blasted her for “advocating for endless wars.”
Federalist senior editor Mollie Hemingway reported that Cheney’s comments about the much-derided and questionable New York Times’ report on Russian bounties allegedly being paid for US soldiers’ deaths in the Middle East have also distanced her from her colleagues. Cheney was one of the few Republicans not to criticize the story, but appeared to rather buy into its claims.
Comments critiquing Cheney, especially those from Paul, represent an ongoing split in the Republican Party that has only been fueled by Trump, who was elected supporting many policies new to the mainstream sector of the Republican Party. The Freedom Caucus was even formed in 2015 as a response to a party that was quickly changing, with many of its members focusing more on cutting spending, criticizing the authority of federal agencies like the NSA, and advocating against American inverventionalism around the globe. Meanwhile Cheney, who was elected to her position in 2017, holds ideals closer to past presidents like George W. Bush – and to her father, Dick, who served as vice president during that administration.
The congresswoman has often criticized Trump for arguing against American troop involvement in the Middle East, but has praised him on occasion when he’s become more aggressive overseas, like when he ordered the assassination of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani.
Cheney may hold opinions closer to the Republican Party before Trump became a serious contender, but all it takes today to earn praise from the left is a break from the president’s loyal political allies – just ask John Kasich. Despite her foreign policy opinions and support of NSA spying, she found herself praised as a “voice of reason” and for being “on the right side” by the left, following reports about the GOP conference – all because she was simply targeted by Republicans for not supporting Trump enough.
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