Friday ahead of Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) blowout victory to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as the Republican Conference chair, former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) declared the GOP the party of Donald Trump.
Flake told “CNN Newsroom” that ousting Cheney over her opposition to the former president was a “loyalty test” for House Republicans.
“It’s been an awful week for Republicans,” Flake emphasized. “Liz Cheney did a stellar job in explaining why she did what she did. I mean, that speech on the House floor and then her interviews afterward, it’s been a bad week for Republicans. Not because people care or even know who the House conference chair is, but the fact that this is a manifestation of a party that is unwilling to accept truth, that’s what’s really damaging.
He added, “This is President Trump’s party right now. It won’t always be. I think he will lose influence more quickly than he would like. But right now, this is a loyalty test. It’s not a test on ideology. Obviously, Liz Cheney is far more conservative than Elise Stefanik, but this is a test on whether or not you are loyal to a man, and that’s a terrible place for a party to be in. And so, yeah, it’s more of a purge than a civil war.”
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