Cheney Slams McCarthy For Not Condemning Trump For Constitution Comments

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney continued her feud with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, the likely next speaker of the U.S. House for not condemning former President Trump over his suggestion to "terminate" the Constitution.

LW
Leo Wolfson

December 06, 20226 min read

Mc Carthy and Cheney 12 6 22

By Leo Wolfson, State Politics Reporter
Leo@Cowboystatedaily.com

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney continued her feud with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, the likely next speaker of the U.S. House. Once again, the topic of inspiration is the behavior of former President Donald Trump.

Cheney went at McCarthy on Twitter on Tuesday morning for remaining silent on the topic of Trump’s latest controversial actions, which include dining with white nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and politically controversial hip-hop artist Kanye West, who also made anti-semitic remarks in recent weeks. 

Trump followed that up by advocating over the weekend that lawmakers disregard the U.S. Constitution and all election rules to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“Last week you wouldn’t condemn Trump for dining with Fuentes & West,” Cheney tweeted. “This week Trump said we should all terminate all rules, regulations etc ‘even those in the Constitution’ to overturn the election.”

Cheney finished her tweet by asking McCarthy if he is “so utterly without principle that you won’t condemn this either?” referring to Trump’s urging of disregarding the Constitution.

Cheney & McCarthy

Cheney and McCarthy have been on the outs since McCarthy continued supporting Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. He successfully advocated for stripping Cheney of her No. 3 leadership position in the U.S. House and actively campaigned in Jackson for her Republican primary opponent and incoming successor Harriet Hageman this summer.

The Speaker of the House role is still not decided. Although McCarthy is the Republican nominee for this role, he still must receive a majority vote from the House on Jan. 3 to secure the job. McCarthy could easily lose this vote if Democrats and four members of his party decide to support another Republican candidate. 

On Tuesday, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, announced he would oppose McCarthy for the leadership role.

Fuentes ‘Has No Place’ With GOP

McCarthy has never been speaker of the House but has served as House minority leader since 2019.

Although he has not responded to Cheney’s recent remarks or directly condemned Trump’s comments or the dinner with Fuentes and West, he did speak against Fuentes.

“I don’t think anybody should be spending any time with Nick Fuentes,” McCarthy said according to CNN. “He has no place in this Republican Party.”

Trump hasn’t directly denounced Fuentes but claims he didn’t know who he was and that he didn’t express any anti-semitic views at the dinner.

Trump And The Constitution

Trump’s Constitution comments came in response to new revelations that recently surfaced about Twitter’s handling of a controversial story involving Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis agreed with some of Trump’s sentiment, but also thinks the former president went too far.

“He was the target of what appears to be government interference, in ways, that may have influenced the outcome of the 2020 election,” Lummis said in a Monday interview with Cowboy State Daily. “So, I can see why he’s angry and frustrated; I don’t think that rises to the level of suspending constitutional rights, but it certainly bears some serious looking into and perhaps legislative consequences.”

Lummis added she believes the House Committee on Government Reform should investigate the Hunter Biden laptop conspiracy.

A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said he would continue to uphold the U.S. Constitution when asked about his reaction to Trump’s remarks.

“Senator Barrasso took an oath to uphold the Constitution and will not waiver from it,” Gaby Hurt, a spokesperson, said in a statement to Cowboy State Daily.

Others Weigh In

State Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, also weighed in about Trump on Monday, tweeting about a BBC headline that says “Democrats” condemn Trump’s call for “end of Constitution.”

“*Americans* condemn Trump’s call for ‘end’ of constitution – there it looks better and sounds better,” Brown said.

Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, told The Hill on Monday that he sees Trump’s comments as “grist” for candidates who may potentially challenge him in a 2024 presidential run.

“If you’re one of these other people who’s interested [in] running this year, this is certainly an opportunity to create some contrast,” Thune said.

Support For Trump Waning

An Economist-YouGov poll released last week shows Trump only leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 6% in a potential GOP primary field, a fairly narrow margin compared to the more than 20-point lead Trump held before the midterm elections. 

Trump has maintained his popularity in Wyoming. A recent University of Wyoming poll found that 58% of Cowboy State residents still have a favorable opinion of his presidency. 

Distancing

Cheney also commented on Trump’s meeting with West and Fuentes on Nov. 29, asking where McCarthy’s condemnation was for this event as well.

“I know you want to be Speaker, but are you willing to be completely …” Cheney said, apparently trailing off.

Several high-profile conservatives also criticized Trump’s meeting, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

“What Donald Trump did, and his failure to condemn it, is really the minority of the party, it’s the extreme side of it and that’s what you’ve got to distance yourself from and he failed to do that,” Hutchinson said.

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Leo Wolfson

Politics and Government Reporter