Cheney is clearly willing to say anything to hurt Trump.
Former Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is expressing concern that the United States is moving towards a potential dictatorship, cautioning that a reelection of former President Trump could spell the demise of the republic.
In an interview with CBS News’s John Dickerson, Cheney, a vocal critic of Trump, is set to release a book titled “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning” on Tuesday. The book critiques the contemporary Republican Party and delves into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, with Cheney having served as the vice chair of the House select committee investigating the insurrection.
Cheney highlighted her apprehensions about the former president’s intentions, stating, “He’s told us what he will do. It’s very easy to see the steps that he will take.” Trump, the leading contender for the 2024 GOP nomination, has signaled a desire to purge his political adversaries upon returning to the White House, signaling a comprehensive restructuring of the federal government and potential legal actions against opponents.
Cheney emphasized the danger, asserting that those who believe in the safeguarding mechanisms of checks and balances may underestimate the extent to which current Republicans in Congress have been influenced and co-opted.
Having departed from Congress publicly last year after condemning her party’s support for Trump, Cheney lost in the August 2022 primary to now-Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), who succeeded her. Cheney, a prominent Republican critic of Trump and his involvement in the insurrection, crossed party lines by campaigning for Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, advocating for a departure from conventional politics to ensure the preservation of democracy.
According to Cheney’s publisher, her book will shed light on why she chose to stand against her party, risking her career, seat, and leadership position to uphold what she perceived as right. Cheney has since become a professor at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, with the option to extend her service beyond the fall semester.
While not ruling out a White House bid, Cheney, in an October interview with CNN, pledged to support leaders who actively oppose challenges to election results, categorizing Trump as the “single most dangerous threat we face.”