Whatever one thinks of the House GOP's No. 3, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, she appears to believe in preserving American democracy—and that is where she and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California part ways.
McCarthy—a seditionist who voted against certifying the election and has readily promoted Donald Trump's Big Lie—doesn't want any House investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege to be focused on ... well ... the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Instead he wants a broad, loosely defined inquiry into political violence spanning the left-to-right spectrum.
Cheney, on the other hand, at least finds value in trying to determine the forces that made the assault possible so they can hopefully be curbed in the future. The split has been awkwardly on display during a 3-day Republican retreat in Florida in which McCarthy has sought to stress the importance of GOP unity in the effort to retake control of the lower chamber, according to Politico.
At a press conference during the retreat, Cheney very publicly shot down McCarthy's support for a broader investigation that would clearly obscure the fact that Trump and his supporters perpetrated the attack—potentially even with the support of some GOP lawmakers. Instead, Cheney said it was "very important" that any Jan. 6 commission "stays focused on what happened on Jan. 6, and what led to that day."
In a subsequent interview with Politico, Cheney said, “If we minimize what happened on Jan. 6th and if we appease it, then we will be in a situation where every election cycle, you could potentially have another constitutional crisis." Cheney continued, “If you get into a situation where we don't guarantee a peaceful transfer of power, we won't have learned the lessons of Jan. 6."
"And you can't bury our head in the sand," she added. "It matters hugely to the survival of the country.”
Ah, the survival of the constitutional democracy as we know it. Republicans, in general, seem less committed to that ideal by the day as they weaponize the party on the way to locking in permanent minority rule.
And McCarthy is as guilty as anyone of radicalizing the caucus he is charged with leading. Instead of rooting out right-wing extremists like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, he has decided to cozy up to them. Becoming speaker of the House—otherwise known as attaining power—is truly his North Star now. If democracy has to be sacrificed on the way, so be it.
That's why the divide between Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump, and McCarthy is deepening. McCarthy has reportedly stopped attending the House GOP leadership's weekly press conferences after an epic moment in February when Cheney said Trump had no role to play in the Republican Party—entirely undercutting McCarthy's contention just moments earlier. McCarthy also hasn't shown any public support for helping Cheney defend her seat from GOP primary challengers.
If anything, McCarthy seems to wish his Cheney headache would just go away. Asked Tuesday whether she was still a good fit for the GOP leadership team, McCarthy dodged the question.
"That's a question for the conference," he offered, ducking a follow-up query about his personal beliefs.
What's clear is that the battle over Cheney's seat has turned into a proxy war between establishment Republicans and Trump radicals. But it seems more like the establishment side is fighting tooth and nail for its life while Trumpers run wild all over them. McCarthy has clearly chosen sides, he just won't say it.
McCarthy—a seditionist who voted against certifying the election and has readily promoted Donald Trump's Big Lie—doesn't want any House investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol siege to be focused on ... well ... the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Instead he wants a broad, loosely defined inquiry into political violence spanning the left-to-right spectrum.
Cheney, on the other hand, at least finds value in trying to determine the forces that made the assault possible so they can hopefully be curbed in the future. The split has been awkwardly on display during a 3-day Republican retreat in Florida in which McCarthy has sought to stress the importance of GOP unity in the effort to retake control of the lower chamber, according to Politico.
At a press conference during the retreat, Cheney very publicly shot down McCarthy's support for a broader investigation that would clearly obscure the fact that Trump and his supporters perpetrated the attack—potentially even with the support of some GOP lawmakers. Instead, Cheney said it was "very important" that any Jan. 6 commission "stays focused on what happened on Jan. 6, and what led to that day."
In a subsequent interview with Politico, Cheney said, “If we minimize what happened on Jan. 6th and if we appease it, then we will be in a situation where every election cycle, you could potentially have another constitutional crisis." Cheney continued, “If you get into a situation where we don't guarantee a peaceful transfer of power, we won't have learned the lessons of Jan. 6."
"And you can't bury our head in the sand," she added. "It matters hugely to the survival of the country.”
Ah, the survival of the constitutional democracy as we know it. Republicans, in general, seem less committed to that ideal by the day as they weaponize the party on the way to locking in permanent minority rule.
And McCarthy is as guilty as anyone of radicalizing the caucus he is charged with leading. Instead of rooting out right-wing extremists like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, he has decided to cozy up to them. Becoming speaker of the House—otherwise known as attaining power—is truly his North Star now. If democracy has to be sacrificed on the way, so be it.
That's why the divide between Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump, and McCarthy is deepening. McCarthy has reportedly stopped attending the House GOP leadership's weekly press conferences after an epic moment in February when Cheney said Trump had no role to play in the Republican Party—entirely undercutting McCarthy's contention just moments earlier. McCarthy also hasn't shown any public support for helping Cheney defend her seat from GOP primary challengers.
If anything, McCarthy seems to wish his Cheney headache would just go away. Asked Tuesday whether she was still a good fit for the GOP leadership team, McCarthy dodged the question.
"That's a question for the conference," he offered, ducking a follow-up query about his personal beliefs.
What's clear is that the battle over Cheney's seat has turned into a proxy war between establishment Republicans and Trump radicals. But it seems more like the establishment side is fighting tooth and nail for its life while Trumpers run wild all over them. McCarthy has clearly chosen sides, he just won't say it.