Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney said she would "much rather serve" among the ranks of national security minded Democratic women than with fellow Republican women Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert.
Cheney made the remarks during an interview with The New York Times, telling the paper she has a lot of pride in her work with the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the January 6 insurrection.
Cheney expressed her disappointment with her own party, which has largely backed and enabled former Republican President Donald Trump's lies about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. In her capacity as the committee's vice chair, she and Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger have been praised for upholding their oath to honor the Constitution in the face of attacks from the far-right.
Cheney said:
“I would much rather serve with Mikie Sherrill and Chrissy Houlahan and Elissa Slotkin than Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, even though on substance certainly I have big disagreements with the Democratic women I just mentioned."
“But they love this country, they do their homework and they are people that are trying to do the right thing for the country.”
Elsewhere, she said the country needs "serious people who are willing to engage in debates about policy." She says it will take years to fix a "sick" GOP assuming "it can be healed."
Many praised Cheney for her remarks and offered their own feelings on the GOP.
\u201cShe's right to a certain degree but, I feel there's no turning back for the GOP. The damage is severe, down to its very core. There is NO WAY the GOP can redeem themselves. Trump started a snowball and now every GOP member is gone.\u201d— I,Carmen (@I,Carmen) 1659953965
\u201cAs yet another example of how extreme, degraded, and degenerate the GOP is, can you imagine Liz Cheney ever saying anything like this even 7 years ago? \ud83d\udc47\u201d— Lee - in the Den of Vipers (@Lee - in the Den of Vipers) 1659928019
\u201cIn a climate of cowardice, doing your simple, decent duty is an act of courage.\u201d— Michael E. Kanell (@Michael E. Kanell) 1659878607
\u201cNot surprising really. Who would want to be around MTG or Boebert? "Work" is a relative term here. But, good for Liz Cheney for speaking truth. @ajc #gapol\n#OurBlueVoice #DemVoice1\u201d— #VoteBlue\ud83e\udd81Catmandu^..^~ (@#VoteBlue\ud83e\udd81Catmandu^..^~) 1659897512
\u201cLiz Cheney is right; Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylore Greene are a disgrace.\u201d— David Weissman (@David Weissman) 1659889973
\u201cRep Liz Cheney has more courage than G.O.P. senators who praised her bravery and told her to keep up the fight against Trump. She reminded them that they could join her. \n\nLike other prominent women who stand up and speak out, she gets death threats.\nhttps://t.co/WJo8hNwnKv\u201d— Amy Diehl, Ph.D. (@Amy Diehl, Ph.D.) 1659923230
\u201cPeople of Wyoming will be making a HUGE mistake if they vote her out. I\u2019m not even a Republican, Liz is Honorable, Truthful, Liz has Integrity, She believes in our Laws and the Constitution.. Be careful people..\u201d— mary (@mary) 1659882751
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who love this country who should never be given anything resembling authority. Is it too much to ask for politicians who don\u2019t campaign like children? This is not student council!\u201d— Todd of Mischief (@Todd of Mischief) 1659904978
\u201cHopefully she will not be serving with any of them soon.\u201d— MizD (@MizD) 1659877479
Cheney's GOP primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, has received former President Trump's endorsement. Hageman backed Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Cheney angered her own party and was ousted from her leadership position in the House after she pushed back against Trump's falsehoods about the 2020 election resilts. Trump issued a statement, more than three months after President Joe Biden took office, calling Biden's victory "the big lie."
Cheney responded shortly afterward with a statement of her own affirming the election "was not stolen," adding anyone who says it was is "turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has long denied the successful effort to remove Cheney from her position as the House's third-ranking Republican is in any way related to her vote to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection.
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