Cheney sure wasn’t joking when she said she was going to make it her life’s mission to destroy Trump.
Former Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) expressed her concerns about the threats made against GOP lawmakers in relation to the Speaker vote, attributing their origin to former President Trump and his supporters. During an appearance on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Cheney pointed out that these domestic threats are undeniably influenced by Donald Trump and some of his supporters, who have encouraged and taken actions resulting in political violence, as witnessed during the events of January 6.
According to The Hill, Cheney highlighted a troubling instance where one congressman supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tried to shift blame for the threats away from Jordan and onto those who opposed him. She firmly stated that such encouragement and acceptance of violence have no place within the party and, more importantly, within the country itself.
In the days leading up to the Speaker vote, reports of a pressure campaign targeting lawmakers who were hesitant to support Jordan started emerging. Several representatives reported receiving death threats for either voting against Jordan or changing their support from him in later rounds of voting.
Reps. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), who initially voted for Jordan but later reversed their support, revealed that they received death threats following the second ballot. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) shared that he received multiple death threats and numerous calls to his office after initially supporting House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and eventually voting for him on the third ballot. Even Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who shifted his support from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), reported that his wife received anonymous texts and calls regarding his opposition to Jordan.
Trump’s endorsement of Jordan for Speaker, coupled with criticism over Jordan’s alleged knowledge of Trump’s plans leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot, has added to the turmoil within the Republican Party.
Chaos has gripped the House for nearly three weeks, starting when Kevin McCarthy was removed from the top spot in a historic vote. Eight Republicans joined with all House Democrats in this vote to remove McCarthy from his role.
The race for Speaker has faced numerous challenges, as Republican candidates seek to secure the 217 votes required while facing internal conflicts within the GOP conference. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) initially gained GOP support but withdrew when it became clear he would not reach the 217-vote threshold. Jordan reentered the race and secured the nomination, only to see his support dwindle with each subsequent round of voting.
After the third vote on Friday, the House GOP opted to no longer endorse Jordan, resetting the Speaker selection process.
Several Republicans have declared their candidacy for Speaker, and a candidate forum is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. An internal nomination election in the House is set for Tuesday at 9 a.m., following the Sunday noon deadline for candidate filings.