One NC Republican tells House GOP to dump Cheney, another mocks her after removal vote

One Western North Carolina representative told her party it was time to boot Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney from Republican leadership in the U.S. House. A second one mocked Cheney after the vote to remove her.

Cheney has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump and repeatedly called his claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election lies. She voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and said he does not have a place in the future of the party.

For that, she was ousted as conference chair in a voice vote Wednesday.

“As the old saying goes: ‘She who thinks she leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.’ Liz, I’m afraid you’re a woman who is only taking a walk right now. You have lost your followers,” Rep. Virginia Foxx told the members of the GOP caucus in introducing a resolution to remove Cheney, according to a copy of her remarks sent out publicly after the closed-door meeting.

Foxx, who represents northwestern North Carolina, said her resolution has “nothing to do with any Member’s right to free speech or to vote her or his conscience. It has everything to do with leadership.”

Cheney had survived a previous vote to remove her as conference chair, a role that called on her to lead the House Republicans’ messaging. It is the No. 3 post among House Republicans.

“Our conference’s main goal now is fighting for sound, conservative policies that will resonate and regain the majority in 2022. It’s grounded in the fact that our vision for this country is fundamentally and undeniably better than what Speaker Pelosi is offering our country,” Foxx told her colleagues in a short speech that seemed as if it was given directly to Cheney.

“Unfortunately, we have been distracted from that goal by your continued statements sowing confusion with the public on our message and agenda.”

Cheney told the conference she wouldn’t back down in taking on Trump, according to remarks published in Politico.

“If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person, you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy,” Cheney said.

“But I promise you this, after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln.”

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who sent a fundraising email last week based on his disapproval of Cheney, posted a mocking tweet after the vote.

“Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye Liz Cheney,” Cawthorn wrote.

Cawthorn, who represents far-western North Carolina, is the youngest member of Congress. He spoke at Trump’s rally on the morning of Jan. 6, before supporters broke into the Capitol.

Rep. Dan Bishop, from Charlotte, has been calling for Cheney’s ouster for several months. Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for impeachment.

“The notion that a small minority of the Republican Party is going to eviscerate the influence of President Trump was never plausible, and it was never good,” Bishop wrote on Twitter.

Seven Senate Republicans, including retiring North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, voted to convict the president. Burr was censured by the NC GOP for that vote.

Trump has been agitating for Cheney’s removal himself in emailed statements. Trump has been banned from most social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, which was his preferred method for communication.

“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,” Trump said in an email after the vote.

Cheney is the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, who served eight years under President George W. Bush.

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