GOP Rep. Tom Rice: Liz Cheney Would Make a ‘Great’ Speaker — She Is a ‘Real Republican’

Representative Tom Rice (R-SC) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that if the Republicans take the majority in Congress, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) would make a “great” Speaker of the House.

Rice was one of the ten Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump.

Partial transcript as follows:

RICE: Defending the Constitution is a bedrock of the Republican platform, right? Defend the Constitution. And that’s what I did. That was the conservative vote. But if that —

KARL: Impeachment was the conservative vote.

RICE: Absolutely, it was the conservative vote. There’s no question in my mind.

KARL (voice over): Rice says he is disappointed Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy embraced Trump after January 6th.

KARL (on camera): If the Republicans win back the House, do you think McCarthy should be speaker?

RICE: I’m not going answer that one right now. Yes, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.

KARL: And – and what about Liz Cheney? Do you think she –

RICE: I think she’d be a great speaker.

KARL: Really?

RICE: Yes, I do. I think she’s a real Republican. I think she is very conservative. And I think she’s a fearless leader.

KARL (voice over): He hopes voters will focus on one than one vote to impeach.

KARL (on camera): But you may now lose your seat.

RICE: Well, I hope that I don’t. I’m so — I’m so proud of what I’ve gotten done for my district.

KARL: If you lose, is it going to be worth it?

RICE: Sure, it will be worth it. Absolutely.

KARL: Your obituary, the first sentence, is going to “Tom Rice, who was a Republican member of Congress, voted to impeach Donald Trump.”

RICE: So be it. I’ll wear it like a badge. So be it.

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