House Republicans voted Wednesday to remove Liz Cheney as conference chair for saying that the November presidential election was not stolen and for criticizing Donald Trump.
The decision was made by voice vote, meaning there will be no tally of the lawmakers who voted to dump Cheney, or of those who wanted her to stay on. Sources inside the closed-door vote said it was an overwhelming vote against Cheney, according to the Hill.
Republican frustration with Cheney reached a boiling point when she called out Donald Trump for spreading repeated falsehoods about his election defeat.
Despite the attacks, Cheney is not backing down. In a fiery speech on the House Floor Tuesday night making it clear that she will continue to speak out despite being purged from GOP House leadership.
“Today, we face a threat America has never seen before. A former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him. He risks inciting further violence. …” Cheney said on the floor.
“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that,” she added. “I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.”
Cheney is expected to be replaced by Trump loyalist Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), by the end of the week.
