Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) called out House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for continuing to turn what is essentially a willfully blind eye to the dangers of extremism within the ranks of the GOP — extending, of course, all the way up to former President Donald Trump.
Trump recently drew widespread criticism after he pushed the idea of suspending at least portions of the Constitution in support of his ambitions to get back in power before the 2024 presidential election. He’s sought either a redo of the last presidential election or a declaration he was the rightful winner after all. He claimed that fraud “of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution” — and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who’s often aligned himself with extremist causes, posted on Twitter in support of the former president’s position. Cheney posted a question of whether the sentiments openly opposing the Constitution spreading even further within the Republican Party was enough for the GOP leader, who could potentially become the next Speaker, to act.
“@GOPLeader - Did you see this tweet before @RepGosar deleted it? Time to condemn Trump yet?” the Wyoming Congresswoman asked Thursday alongside a screenshot of Gosar. Cheney has already raised concerns about the former president’s comments, as have others on the Right like Mitt Romney and Mike Pence. On the other side, there’s Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), who wasn’t concerned, saying: “I’m not going to waste my time trying to dissect when he said this and how he said that. We should be focused on problems that matter to us at home.”
.@GOPLeader – Did you see this tweet before @RepGosar deleted it? Time to condemn Trump yet? pic.twitter.com/sMyHwxwyZU
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) December 7, 2022
Trump himself tried to do some kind of damage control, claiming he wasn’t actually pushing for the termination of the Constitution, but trying to basically throw the founding document aside because you feel like it and doing what amounts to the same because of imaginary electoral fraud and a plan to address it both have the same net effect. Outside of a few voices, Republicans asked about Trump’s comments seem suspiciously dismissive of even the most basic concerns. This guy could be president again, and these people could help him get there. In that position, he could attempt to undo or dramatically restrict mail-in or early voting via executive order, and he could even attempt to do so right in the middle of an election season. Even if his moves are undone in court, what about the time before those rulings as chaos reigns? What about local officials who might attempt to go along with Trump’s wishes anyway? What about more threats from self-styled vigilantes like those who attacked the Capitol early last year?
