Liz Cheney Loses Seat But Gains Bipartisan Admiration

House GOP Representatives voted to cancel Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership role as their party’s Conference chair for her willingness to call out former President Donald Trump‘s false election fraud claims that she said incited violence.

From the House floor last night, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 House Republican and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said that Trump “provoked a violent attack on the Capitol” and “risks inciting further violence.” In a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, House Republicans voted by secret ballot to oust Cheney from the conference chair spot over her criticism of former President Trump for repeatedly making false claims that the election was “stolen” and triggering an insurrection as a result.

Rep. Liz Cheney speaks from the House floor the night before the vote to oust her.

She broke with her fellow leaders after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 by Trump supporters who felt the election was stolen, as Trump vehemently claimed. House Republicans like Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) felt Cheney had gone too far in voting to impeach the former president. The 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach are, in fact, facing political backlash, including censure.

In her own words, she said, “The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.”

In response to her dismissal, Trump said in a statement: “Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party. She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our Country.”

Other republicans went online to express their contentment with the decision. “It’s official- Liz Cheney has been fired from House Leadership and I was proud to vote against her,” Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Tex.) posted on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Cheney has received widespread bipartisan support online:

I disagree with #LizCheney on every policy position. But, she is pro Democracy and choosing country over party. We have asked for 5 years when that will happen on the Right. It’s happening today. I stand against her politics. But, this day, I stand with Cheney for the Republic.

— Southern Sister Resister – Wordsmith #IAmTheStorm (@ResisterSis20) May 12, 2021

.@robreiner has this right. Expelling #LizCheney shows everyone what power-hungry unprincipled frauds the Republican leaders in Congress truly are. https://t.co/HFJBPzZkzu

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) May 12, 2021

You may not agree with Liz Cheney’s politics but she is standing up for Democracy.

Disagree with her strongly. That’s the system we have – but damn it stand up alongside her to protect that system.

It protects everything we hold dear. #LizCheney https://t.co/dx9Q4Fz72F

— Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike) May 5, 2021

“Once #LizCheney is loose from the grips of leadership, there is nothing to stop her from working with the democrats to pursue the Jan 6 commission, something she said in a Washington Post op-ed is one of her chief goals.” This would be poetic justice indeed!@amandacarpenter https://t.co/6L30gsK9VA

— Olivia of Troye (@OliviaTroye) May 11, 2021

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is the Republican party-endorsed replacement for Cheney.