Ever since the January 6 MAGA insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, many congressional Republicans (not Mitt Romney) appear absurdly eager to align themselves with an ex-president who (still) pushes the Big Lie. However, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WI), the daughter of former VP Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney, showed that she was not willing to march to the same lemming beat as die-hard Trumpers. Instead, she’s urged her fellow party members to distance themselves from a president who placed his own ego ahead of the constitution and incited his voting base toward deadly violence. Cheney has refused to bend the knee to Trump and, instead, consistently called out his election falsehoods. Amid an inevitable buildup to oust her from House leadership, she stood firm while declaring, “Ignoring the lie emboldens the liar.”
Well, Cheney is now truly out of her leadership role. The House GOP made this decision on Wednesday morning by voice vote during a closed-door meeting. Yep, they didn’t even bother to put their votes on the record (they also booed Cheney), and in doing so, Republicans are showing that they’re rolling the dice on a Trump future and want him back in the White House. That’s amazing, truly, since one would think that they’d run far and fast from ex-president who managed to get himself banned from Twitter and Facebook, but nope.
“I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,” Cheney told reporters (via CNBC) following her ouster. “The party is in a place that we’ve got to bring it back from. We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president.” She also cited Trump’s refusal to honor the U.S. Constitution and stressed that the party must pick a presidential candidate who doesn’t stomp all over the document.
Rep. Cheney to @kasie: "I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office. We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We've seen his lack of commitment & dedication to the Constitution." pic.twitter.com/esIu5Sus7g
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 12, 2021
Following this development, “Cowards” began trending hard on Twitter. “Cult of Cowards” was right up in there, too.
Cowards. https://t.co/Ca6oJLA4a8
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 12, 2021
Voice vote? What fucking cowards.
— Jim Swift (@JimSwiftDC) May 12, 2021
Chicken-shit cowards.
Didn’t even have the guts to cast a vote. https://t.co/BguO2p3rag— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) May 12, 2021
NEWS: NO VOTE. They removed Cheney by voice vote
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) May 12, 2021
I mean could there be anything more GQP than this? Cowards to the very end. What pathetic, frightened little children they are is hurl-inducing https://t.co/1sT4ynEcrZ
— Cliff Schecter (@cliffschecter) May 12, 2021
Republican oust Liz Cheney (R-WY) from leadership in a *voice vote*…. therefore avoiding recording actual votes
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 12, 2021
The GOP is now the party of cowards!
You can grab pussies, have sex with underage girls, and cause an insurrection.
But telling the truth about the powers that be?
That's a bridge too far for these traitors!
Fuc#ing despicable!— Brian O'Sullivan (@osullivanauthor) May 12, 2021
Cowards. All of them.
There can be no compromise with these people.
There must be no compromise with these people.
There will be no compromise with these people.The #BigLie only wins if we allow it. https://t.co/Rbe2UN3sPr
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) May 12, 2021
holy fucking shit, Republicans are cowards
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) May 12, 2021
When Rep. Liz Cheney criticized former President Trump in her opening remarks this morning, she was booed, a member in the room tells CNN.
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) May 12, 2021
I have little to nothing in common with @RepLizCheney, but applaud her for having the courage to stand up to #DonaldTrump's Cult of Cowards. https://t.co/IFnD0V3E2I
— Rep. Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) May 12, 2021
Put your vote on the record cowards.#RIPGOP
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) May 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/keithedwards/status/1392478123434909700
Meanwhile, the New York Times has reported that 100 prominent GOP members want to branch off into a new party to distance themselves from the Trump taint. This ain’t over yet.