House Republicans are facing an internal debate over whether to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position after she voted to accuse former President Trump for inciting the January 6 riot at the Capitol. The debate has become so bitter that some Republicans are worried it will prevent the conference from offering a unified front against President Biden’s new policies.
Republican Reps Matt Rosendale of Montana and Andy Biggs of Arizona are among members who have received support from their colleagues to vote on a resolution eliminating the Wyoming Republican as president of the GOP conference. Sources familiar with the effort say more than 115 of the 211 Republicans would vote to withdraw it, though they have refused to share the list.
A Republican member expressed skepticism about those numbers and told CBS News, “I want to see the proof. Show me the list.”
Both House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and GOP whip Steve Scalise, who were re-elected to office along with Cheney in November, have publicly supported his colleague. But in an interview with Greta Van Susteren that aired Sunday, McCarthy said Cheney did not share his position with him ahead of time and has “concerns” that Cheney needs to respond before the conference.
“She may have a different opinion, but the only thing is that if we lead within the conference we should work together throughout that conference because we are representatives of that conference,” McCarthy said.
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Cheney has remained defiant throughout the process, telling reporters on the day of the impeachment vote, “I’m not going anywhere.” Asked about the removal threat in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, she said there would be discussions about the process, but added: “I anticipate and I’m sure we will be united as a conference in the future. We recognize the importance of making sure “We are right and we are fighting against the policies of the Biden administration.”
Cheney, the most ranked woman in the conference, has been seen as a possible future leader in the House, especially when she missed the opportunity to run for an open Senate seat in Wyoming last year. Now, he has drawn three main challenges for his seat in the House, including Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard, who said his impeachment vote “demonstrates how disconnected he is from Wyoming.”
Cheney was the most prominent and highest-ranking of the 10 House Republicans who voted to oust the former president. After making the announcement, Rosendale asked him to step down, saying he “did not consult the Conference, did not respect the spirit of the rules of the Republican Conference, and ignored the preferences of Republican voters.”
The main annoyance for Republicans who supported the ouster effort was Cheney’s decision to announce his position the day before the vote, a source familiar with CBS News’s efforts to remove Cheney from his vote told leadership position. Throughout the debate the next day, House Democrats quoted his words.
“We had a vote of dismissal that week and the night before the vote of dismissal, the president of the conference issued the statement that Democrats used as a matrix throughout the day … there was a level of extreme frustration.” , said the source.
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More than a dozen Republicans, including some senior members of the conference, have publicly supported his decision. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said removing it “sends a bad message” after McCarthy told House Republicans they should vote their consciences at the impeachment wedding.
“Right now we should focus on preventing President Biden from approving some of his more liberal issues on the agenda, including reinstating the Paris Climate Agreement and halting the construction of the Keystone Pipeline, instead to argue with each other, “he added.
Even the Texas rep, Chip Roy, who is in the House Freedom Caucus with some of the members working to remove Cheney, was by his side. “Liz should be congratulated, not condemned, for defending the Constitution and staying true to her beliefs,” he said.
The removal of Cheney as president of the conference would require a multi-step process. First, its detractors should gather the signatures of at least 43 members (20% of the caucus) to convene a special meeting of the Republican conference. There they could file a resolution to remove her from her job. If two-thirds of House Republicans agree, they could go directly to vote on the resolution.
Otherwise, McCarthy could send the resolution to one of the internal committees of the Republican House Party (which would include some members of the leadership) to issue a resolution. If they report a favorable recommendation on the resolution, they go to the conference for a secret ballot. If they denounce an unfavorable recommendation, the resolution would be disrupted and they would die.
While leadership support is likely to help Cheney keep his job, there is concern that allowing the effort to get her out of here has encouraged the far right of the group and prevented the Republican Party from presenting. a unified front against Biden.
“This is a bad message to send to women, it’s a bad message to send to our freshmen,” said a Republican member who was given anonymity for speaking sincerely. Staff said any success in ousting Cheney from leadership would indicate members could face primary challenges backed by their fellow members if they do not respect conservative orthodoxy.
“Give them an inch that they’ll make a mile. If he gives them that, what happens next?” said the staff.
Arden Farhi contributed to the reports.