On Wednesday, May 5, Trump endorsed veteran Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (D-Mass.) to replace Liz Cheney (D-Calif.) as chairman of the House Republican Conference. Market Watch also reported the same day that House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, the No. 2, had escalated his efforts to remove Cheney as the No. 3 Republican House figure.
Ms. Lauren Fine, a spokeswoman for Scalise, said in a statement, “House Republicans need to focus entirely on taking back the House in 2022 and taking on Pelosi and Biden’s radical socialist agenda, and Stefanik is the Congressman committed to doing so, so Whip Scalise has pledged her support as chair of the House Republican Conference. “
Rep. Stefanik, 36, is in her third term, and having her replace Cheney, 54, would not only preserve a female occupant of the House Republican leadership, but would make the leadership once younger and more dynamic. As Mr. Trump argued, Stefanik is “a much better choice than Cheney” and “a tough and smart communicator. Cheney, on the other hand, is “a repulsive fool who has no track record in Republican leadership” and “has no business being in Republican leadership”. Trump’s former senior adviser also praised Stefanik as a “no-nonsense fundraiser” who “has strong support from MAGA voters”.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was caught in private this week saying he had “had enough” of Cheney as a result of Mike’s loss of voice, according to a report in the Punchbowl News, a Washington wire political news daily. McCarthy also said on Tuesday that Republicans were concerned about Cheney’s “ability to perform the job of conference chairman and deliver his message.
In a statement, Trump said, “Trust the leaders of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement to prioritize the values of ‘America First’. Stefanik is an excellent choice, and she has my complete and total support for her as chair of the Republican Conference. “
For months, Cheney has been criticized by fellow Republicans for not only opposing President Trump, but also for voting to impeach him. Cheney is on record opposing Mr. Trump, but Republicans are more concerned about winning back the majority in 2022,” said Ben Koltun, senior research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors, in Life on Wednesday. The party currently overwhelmingly believes that unity is most important and cannot oppose Trump and his sizable base support. To that end, Cheney will likely leave his position as chairman of the House Republican Conference next week.”
House Republicans are expected to meet on May 12 and need a 2/3 majority to bring Cheney down, after she survived an impeachment in a secret ballot in February.
Recent Comments