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MCCARTHY MOVES QUICKLY TO OUST CHENEY — House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY made it all but official Tuesday, going on Fox News to declare that House Republicans have lost confidence in Rep. LIZ CHENEY, before getting caught on a hot mic moment saying, “I’ve had it with her.” As our Mel Zanona and Olivia Beavers write, McCarthy allies are already making calls on behalf of Rep. ELISE STEFANIK, seeking to lock down a replacement quickly to push Cheney out the door. (More on this in a minute.)
In their last-ditch effort to save Cheney, the Wyoming Republican’s allies have been framing her potential ouster as a litmus test for Republicans: Do they stand for truth or for lies?
McCarthy would push back on this narrative, of course, but at least one major conservative media outlet agrees: The WSJ editorial page writes that “purging Liz Cheney for honesty would diminish the party.” The newspaper also called out McCarthy for coordinating her takedown when he “knows Ms. Cheney is right. The election wasn’t stolen.”
“Republicans will look foolish, or worse, to swing voters if they refight 2020 in 2022 … Republicans should find a way to speak this truth to voters in 2022 — and quickly turn to running on an agenda for the future that will check [President JOE] BIDEN and his cradle-to-grave entitlement state.”
McCarthy has been arguing that Cheney’s rebukes of Trump are distracting from that very mission of taking back the House. But the reality is that her position in leadership means that he and other Republicans keep having to answer questions about Trump and Jan. 6 — the last topic they want to discuss.
KNOWING STEFANIK — The New York Republican known for her adamant defense of Trump during his first impeachment has quickly emerged as the frontrunner to replace Cheney — and is making calls to gauge support. The 36-year-old lawmaker has a relatively moderate voting record, scoring a mere 48% — an F, in case it wasn’t clear — on the conservative Heritage Action scorecard. But Stefanik somehow balanced voting with the center and still being among Trump’s most fervent House defenders, a rarity for moderates.
As Mel and Olivia report, Stefanik is known for her prolific fundraising ability. She is also almost singlehandedly responsible for recruiting the record number of women who now make up the GOP freshman class. She’s well liked in the conference, from members of the centrist Tuesday Group to Freedom Caucus leader JIM JORDAN, who had nice things to say about her on Fox on Tuesday.
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- Discussion
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McCarthy's allies are already making calls on behalf of Rep. Elise Stefanik, seeking to lock down a replacement quickly to push Rep. Liz Cheney out of leadership https://t.co/7fD7F0JSp9
— POLITICO (@politico) May 5, 2021
And as @Olivia_Beavers and I first reported yesterday, McCarthy and his allies had been working behind the scenes to line up Stefanik as a successor.
They were whipping against Cheney, making calls and pitching ppl on Stefanik as a replacement. And now, she has Trump's support. https://t.co/oKlLd9HWiy
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) May 5, 2021
In a new statement Trump goes after Rep. Cheney…but also Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell pic.twitter.com/ql6BwZ6Dl8
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 5, 2021
Elise Stefanik = elected as moderate, new wave Republican who evolved into as a Trump loyalist.
Liz Cheney = a principled conservative, voted party line frequently in last four years, but spoke out against Trump after Jan. 6.
Proof positive that Trump loyalty > policy.
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) May 4, 2021
She’s not going back to upstate New York, and you can’t make her, and if this is what she has to do to stay in Washington, that’s what she’s gonna do https://t.co/VS8Exo5T60
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 5, 2021
.@EliseStefanik is who we said she is. @ProjectLincoln #LincolnProjectEffect https://t.co/CeBGQP67vo
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) May 5, 2021
In a weird way this makes sense if you recall that in 2016, Trump's core support was more liberal on most key issues that traditionally define conservatism. The idea that "real conservatives" support Trump/Trumpism stems from a populist redefinition of conservatism. https://t.co/Z5CfsL5f6P
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) May 5, 2021
The GOP would be a better party if writing this kind of thing disqualified you for a leadership post. https://t.co/prGJuGMrmv
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) May 5, 2021
No single person better represents the decay of the GOP under Donald Trump than @EliseStefanik.
It’s fitting that she is about to become the Chair of the House Republican Caucus. pic.twitter.com/7JNVGk6iVf
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 5, 2021
Elise Stefanik is NOT a good spokesperson for the House Republican Conference. She is a liberal with a 35% CFGF lifetime rating, 4th worst in the House GOP. House Republicans should find a conservative to lead messaging and win back the House Majority.
— Club for Growth (@club4growth) May 5, 2021
Miss Cheney and the rest of the few Never-Trump Republicans still left in DC should break away and form their own party. Let Trump have his cult. He will run the GOP into the ground as he has with many of his business ventures. A new party can then emerge to offer a real choice for voters.
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