Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday lauded House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) in the wake of her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump, calling the congresswoman an “important leader” with the courage to act on “deep convictions.”
“Liz Cheney is a leader with deep convictions and the courage to act on them,” McConnell said in a statement to CNN. “She is an important leader in our party and in our nation. I am grateful for her service and look forward to continuing to work with her on the crucial issues facing our nation.”
McConnell’s remarks come at a time when over half of the House Republican Conference has committed to vote to remove Cheney from her leadership post. One senior House Republican recently told Breitbart News that Republican lawmakers believe Cheney should step aside voluntarily to avoid further embarrassment to the party. Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have been floated as possible replacements for Cheney as Breitbart News reported.
Last month, Carbon County, Wyoming, Republicans formally censured Cheney for her impeachment vote.
“Representative Cheney has violated the trust of her voters, failed to faithfully represent a very large majority of motivated Wyoming voters, and neglected her duty to represent the party and the will of the people who elected her to represent them,” the resolution stated.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has signaled that he will not join efforts to remove Cheney from her post, while Cheney herself has said she has no intention to step down.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Cheney said. “This is a vote of conscience. It’s one where there are different views in our conference.”