House Republicans on Wednesday officially ousted Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney as the No. 3 Republican in the House after she continued to criticize former President Donald Trump’s lies about the election, The Associated Press reports.
The House Republican caucus met for just 20 minutes on Wednesday and removed Cheney as the chair of the Republican Conference in a voice vote.
Cheney survived a similar vote earlier this year after she voted to impeach Trump and criticized his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. But while House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy tepidly had her back then, Republican leaders have turned on Cheney since.
Some House Republicans were downright giddy after Cheney was removed.
“Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye Liz Cheney,” tweeted freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
Few members of the House GOP have spoken out against the vote, with Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger a rare exception.
“What happened today was sad,” he said Wednesday. “Liz committed the only sin of being consistent and telling the truth. The truth is that the election was not stolen.”
Cheney defiant:
Cheney has said that she views her ouster as a badge of honor and vowed to continue to push the party away from Trump.
“If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person,” she told her GOP colleagues before the vote, according to the AP. “You have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy.”
“The nation needs a strong Republican Party; the nation needs a party that is based upon fundamental principles of conservatism, and I am committed and dedicated to ensuring that that’s how this party goes forward, and I plan to lead the fight to do that,” she said after the vote. “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”
Democrats praise Cheney:
“Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement after the vote. “Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican Party.”
Democrats have repeatedly taken shots at the GOP over its infighting and fealty to Trump in recent weeks.
Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the vote.
“Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party,” he said in a statement. “She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our Country. She is a talking point for Democrats, whether that means the Border, the gas lines, inflation, or destroying our economy. ”
