If Cheney thinks she can throw her name into the hat for next House Speaker, she better think again.
Former Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) reasserted her criticism of Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Friday, expressing her concern that if Jordan were to be chosen as the Speaker, the Republican Party could lose control of the House in the next election, and she believed they would deserve such an outcome.
According to The Hill, Cheney made her remarks via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, where she argued that nominating Jordan for the role of Speaker would be tantamount to forsaking the Constitution. She further contended that this choice would lead to a loss of the House majority, asserting that such an outcome would be justified.
Cheney emphasized her apprehension regarding Jordan’s close ties to former President Trump and his involvement in initiatives aimed at retaining Trump’s authority after his loss in the 2020 election. According to her statement, Jordan was involved in what she labeled as Trump’s attempt to subvert the election and seize power, citing his encouragement for then-Vice President Pence to refuse to count valid electoral votes.
On Friday, Jordan reentered the Speaker race following his loss in the GOP nomination contest against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), where the vote resulted in a 113-99 tally in favor of Scalise. However, Scalise later withdrew from the race on Thursday due to insufficient support from his party members.
In a subsequent development, Georgia Republican Representative Austin Scott also declared his candidacy for the Speaker position, expressing his intent to lead a House that operates in the best interests of the American people.
During a speech delivered the previous week, Cheney expressed doubt that Jordan would garner sufficient votes to become Speaker. Nevertheless, she cautioned that if he did attain the position, it would become increasingly challenging to argue that a faction of elected Republicans could continue to uphold the principles of the Constitution.
Cheney further accused Jordan of having advanced knowledge of Donald Trump’s plans for January 6, asserting that he was more informed on the matter than any other member of the House of Representatives. She contended that Jordan was actively involved in a conspiracy to overturn the election results, in which Donald Trump was engaged as he attempted to reverse the outcome.
In her role as vice chair of the Jan. 6 select committee, Cheney collaborated on a report with the committee, characterizing Jordan as a “significant player” in Trump’s endeavors to overturn the election results. The report detailed Jordan’s participation in various post-election meetings aimed at discussing strategies for overturning the election results, including a call on January 2, 2021, in which Trump and others deliberated plans to delay the joint session scheduled for January 6. Additionally, the report revealed that Jordan sent a text on January 5, 2021, to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in which he suggested that Vice President Mike Pence should reject all electoral votes he deemed unconstitutional.