California’s Tom McClintock backs Liz Cheney’s ouster, saying her biases hurt the GOP

Rep. Tom McClintock was glad to see Liz Cheney ousted from the Republican leadership Wednesday, saying she just can’t put her personal biases aside for the good of the party.

Cheney had been sharp and vocal in her criticism of former President Donald Trump, and before she lost her position, issued a last warning to fellow Republicans.

“We cannot let the former president drag us backward and make us complicit in his efforts to unravel our democracy. Down that path lies our destruction, and potentially the destruction of our country,” she said.

McClintock told C-SPAN’s “Morning Journal” Trump’s role in toppling Cheney was “largely irrelevant.”

The congressman said he wanted the Wyoming Republican out as the House Republican Conference chair because “she speaks very eloquently and passionately for herself and sometimes I agree with her and sometimes I don’t. It’s always commendable, but not as a leader.”

He doesn’t like the idea of having Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, succeed her. Stefanik is the current favorite to win the position, probably later this week, but McClintock does not find her record sufficiently conservative.

“I think she’s one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress. I question if she would be an effective spokesperson for the caucus,” said McClintock, R-Elk Grove.

He said he’d prefer a “solid conservative,” such as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who has a perfect 100 lifetime American Conservative Union voting record. Stefanik gets a 43. McClintock’s lifetime rating is 98.7.

Stefanik, who took office in 2015, in recent years has been vocal in her support of Trump. While no one has yet emerged to challenge her, conservatives are seriously considering fielding a candidate.

The Wednesday decision to remove Cheney from the House leadership came on a voice vote. Most California Republicans would not say how they voted, or comment on the decision.

McClintock was one of the 61 House Republicans who voted to oust Cheney in February. Cheney survived that vote, but her ongoing criticisms of Trump soured his relations with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and other leaders.

McCarthy had supported Cheney in the February vote, but as she continued to criticize Trump, he distanced himself from her. Monday, he sent a letter to colleagues saying “It’s clear we need to make a change.”

Cheney was one of 10 Republicans, including Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, to vote to impeach Trump. Valadao would not comment on Cheney’s fate.

Following the vote, Cheney vowed that if Trump seeks office again she will “do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”

She warned, “We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the Constitution.”

McClintock emphasized Wednesday that his views on Cheney were not simply about her anger at Trump.

“It comes down to this. A leader has to put their personal interests and biases aside when they’re speaking for the Republican caucus,” he said. “She’s always been unwilling to do that.”

In fact, he said, “I happen to agree with Cheney that the House had no authority to reject electoral votes submitted to it, so I’m not in disagreement with many of the stances she’s taken. I disagree very firmly with her vote for impeachment. But it’s not about that, it’s about her conduct as a member of Republican leadership.”

Too often, McClintock said, “she has taken on members...I think it’s about whether our leaders speak for us or they will attack us.”