Right after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy voiced his support for Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in order to help her keep her job, she turned right around and stepped up her anti-Trump rhetoric, Politico [1] reports. That, of course, has spiced up Trump’s allies, who are also not thrilled that McCarthy defended the House’s third-ranking Republican.
Joe.My.God. [2] reports that this past weekend a “stir-crazy Trump has spent the last two days livid and fuming to aides and allies about what he views as a betrayal by McCarthy for standing by Cheney and not punishing her for her vote to impeach,” per CNN. That was prior to her interview on Fox News Sunday.
That interview apparently rubbed Donald Trump Jr. the wrong way, and he told Politico he might travel to Wyoming to primary Cheney. “I hear it’s lovely during primary season,” he said. The Daily Mail [3]reports he’s angry and wants revenge for her attacks on his father.
Donald Trump Jr. tells @playbookplus [4] he’s gearing up for a trip to Wyoming to take on Rep. Liz Cheney.
“I hear it’s lovely during primary season,” he said.https://t.co/l7igd1rWIW [5]
— POLITICO (@politico) February 8, 2021 [6]
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is also unhappy, and while he initially directed his ire at Cheney, he’s now aiming it at McCarthy, retweeting on Sunday “Kevin McCarthy vouched for Liz Cheney. Everything she says is on him,” he wrote. “Kevin put it all on the line for Liz. Every House Republican knows it.”
Trump Jr. and Gaetz can be as upset as they like, but Cheney was telling the truth and standing up when other Republicans’ legs turned to Jell-O. All because they don’t want to incur Trump’s wrath. These two are upset at what Cheney said on Fox News but she absolutely nailed it.
“People in the [Republican] party are mistaken,” she said. “They believe that BLM and Antifa were behind what happened here at the Capitol. It’s just simply not the case, not true, and we’re going to have a lot of work we have to do.”
At this point, the former president was now in her cross-hairs.
“People have been lied to. The extent to which the president, President Trump for months leading up to January 6th spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie and people need to understand that,” she said. “We need to make sure that we as Republicans are the party of truth that we are being honest about what really did happen in 2020 so we actually have a chance to win in 2022 and win the White House back in 2024.”
I’m not sure when the Republican Party has ever been the “party of truth.” It will be refreshing when that happens. As for whoever wins in 2024, I hope they have the best interests of Americans at heart. Trump certainly never did.