The Wyoming Republican Party voted Saturday to censor the congresswoman Liz Cheney on his vote to oust former President Trump. Cheney, the third Republican in the House, said Saturday that his vote on appeal was “bound by the oath I swore in the Constitution.”
The Wyoming Republican Party passed a censure resolution by a vote of 56 to 8. The censorship resolution says the party state will not raise money for it in the future and also asks it to reimburse donations made for its 2020 campaign by the state party and any parts of the county that request it.
“I am honored to represent the people of Wyoming in Congress and I will always fight for the issues that matter most to our state,” Cheney said in a statement Saturday. “The highlight is the defense of our Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees.”
Cheney was one of ten House Republicans who broke with the party and voted Jan. 13 to charge Mr. Trump with a charge of inciting insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Trump’s trial will begin Tuesday in the Senate.
The censure document says Cheney voted for the dismissal “despite the lack of any formal hearing, the presentation of evidence, the presence of witnesses to testify or the interrogation of the plaintiffs.”
Trump won about 70% of Wyoming voters in November and Cheney is the only congressman in the state. The Republican party accused her of not being in contact with state voters. The resolution states that state Republicans have left the party or changed voter registration.
Several party members protested against the measure to censor Cheney. During Saturday’s meeting, Teton County President Alex Muromcew said the party state should resist this leftist tendency to “cancel the culture,” trying to censor and get rid of anyone. with whom we disagree. ” Natrona County Republican Party President Joseph McGinley criticized the state party’s recent decisions to censor other state and county lawmakers, including himself.
With the U.S. House still in session, Cheney did not attend the meeting. There was an empty chair with his name on it to draw attention to his absence, which McGinley said was done with “bad taste.”
“This is our only representative in the U.S. House. And censoring someone for how they voted doesn’t help in any way, form or form. If we’re not happy with the voting records, that’s resolved in the primary. Trying to undermine the Someone’s ability to represent the people of Wyoming is counterproductive, ”McGinley told CBS News.
Cheney has also faced national Republicans. Earlier this week, Cheney survived a vote by House Republicans to remove her from her leadership position, with 61 Republicans voting to remove Cheney from office and 145 voters to stay. Voting took place by secret ballot.
On Jan. 28, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz held a rally in Wyoming, which attacked Cheney for his removal vote and called her a “Beltway bureaucrat turned fake cowboy.”
Adam Brewster contributed the information.