Top Republicans are turning on Rep. Liz Cheney, the party’s highest-ranking woman in Congress, with one conservative leader suggesting she could be ousted from her GOP post within a month.
Why it matters: The comments by Reps. Steve Scalise, the minority whip, and Jim Banks, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, carry weight because of their close relationship with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — who is openly feuding with Cheney.
- Banks (R-Ind.), leader of the largest conservative caucus in the House, told Axios Friday that Cheney’s continued criticisms are “an unwelcome distraction,” and he questioned whether she would retain her leadership role in a month.
- Banks’ comments were echoed more diplomatically by Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 Republican in the House.
- During an interview with Axios on Friday, he said of Cheney: “This idea that you just disregard President Trump is not where we are, and, frankly, he has a lot to offer still.”
- Earlier in the week, McCarthy himself told reporters: “If you’re sitting here at a retreat that’s focused on policy, focused on the future of making American next-century, and you’re talking about something else, you’re not being productive.”
