Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is continuing to face steep political pressure from within the GOP over her opposition to former President Donald Trump’s anti-democratic antics — but she is nonetheless standing by that opposition. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday over the weekend, Cheney outlined how she believes that the only way “forward in strength” for the Republican Party involves an abandonment of Trump. Although Republicans recently scored a significant victory in the Virginia governor’s race, it’s worth noting that Trump never even campaigned in the state for the GOP pick. Trump’s actual, documented legacy is that of failure and loss.
As Cheney put it:
‘I think the only way the Republican Party can go forward in strength is if we reject the lie, if we reject what happened on January 6, if we reject the efforts that President Trump made, frankly, to steal the election.’
"I think the only way the Republican Party can go forward in strength is if we reject the lie, if we reject what happened on January 6, if we reject the efforts that President Trump made, frankly, to steal the election." – @replizcheney #FoxNewsSunday
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 7, 2021
Observers might expect that “rejecting” what unfolded on January 6 when Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol as Congress met to formally certify the presidential election results would essentially be a given — but time has proven that it’s not. As the time since the initial events has grown, Trump has seemed to become only more emboldened in his embrace of what happened. In a recent public statement, he said (in reference to his false claims of election fraud) that the real “insurrection” was on Election Day. What took place on January 6, he said, was merely the “protest.” To be clear, what he and those who otherwise gloss over the events of that day are accepting involves (among other travesties) vicious assaults on scores of police officers, many of which were left with lasting injuries. The pro-Trump wing of the Republican Party can not credibly describe itself as pro-police at this point.
On Fox, Cheney also spoke more broadly about what should be the shared foundation for political interactions in the United States. She commented as follows:
‘At the end of the day, we’re all Americans, and we have to remember that we’re able to have those debates, have those discussions and differences of opinion, because we have a firm solid foundation in our Constitution.’
“At the end of the day, we're all Americans, and we have to remember that we're able to have those debates, have those discussions and differences of opinion, because we have a firm solid foundation in our Constitution.” @replizcheney #FoxNewsSunday
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 7, 2021
On the subject of upholding the Constitution, Cheney is the vice chair of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, and she recently revealed that the panel had heard from over 150 witnesses. Although the full list of those who’ve spoken to the committee wasn’t immediately clear, what was clear was that the panel’s investigation is proceeding with vigor.
