Susan Collins: ‘Liz Cheney Is a Woman of Strength and Conscience’

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” called Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) “a woman of strength and conscience.”

Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Let’s turn to the state of the Republican Party. Your fellow Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who I believe is a friend of yours, he was booed by delegates at the Utah Republican Convention yesterday. What was your reaction when you saw the clip of the vote for him being booed and the close vote to censure him?”

Collins said, “I was appalled. Mitt Romney is an outstanding senator who served his state and our country well. We Republicans need to remember that we are united by fundamental principles such as a belief in personal responsibility, individual freedom, opportunity, free markets, a strong national defense. Those are the principles that unite us. We are not a party that is led by just one person. There are many prominent upcoming younger men and women in our party who hold great promise for leading us. I think that all of us who abide by those principles should remember Ronald Reagan’s admonition to republicans that the person who agrees with you 70% or 80% of the time is your friend, not your enemy.”

Tapper said, “Yet if you look at what is going on in the House among Republicans, some Republicans including Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise are attacking and trying to undermine Liz Cheney for fist-bumping Biden on the floor and speaking out about Trump’s lies about the election and upset she voted to impeach the president. Is it politically dangerous to be a Republican like Liz Cheney who tries to stand up for facts and truth regarding the election and the insurrection?”

Collins said, “Liz Cheney is a woman of strength and conscience. And she did what she felt was right, and I salute her for that. We need to be accepting of differences in our party. We don’t want to become like too much of the Democratic Party, which has been taken over by the progressive left. We need to have room for a variety of views, especially since we adhere to those core principles that I mentioned earlier.”

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