Cheney slams Republican colleagues for backing Trump

"Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that," Cheney said Tuesday night, a day before the Republican Party is expected to vote her out of her leadership post.

Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump in January after he delivered a fiery Jan. 6 speech to supporters, many of whom then stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to block certification of his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Most Republican lawmakers, including McCarthy, have sought to placate Trump, who continues to insist falsely that he lost November's election because of widespread fraud, a claim that has been shot down in multiple courts as well as by state and federal election officials.