Liz Cheney Posts Eerie Trump Quote After McCarthy Thanks Former President

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Former Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, posted a Donald Trump quote on Twitter to call out House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday.

GOP control of the House of Representatives got off to a rocky start this week after a group of about 20 Republicans opposed McCarthy’s speakership bid, calling for changes that would weaken the speaker’s authority in a package of the rules of the House.

McCarthy, edged out by a narrow majority of Republicans, failed to garner enough support to win the speaker election as of late Friday night after 15 rounds of voting. His victory came only after Trump, who remains a popular figure among many conservatives, urged detractors to support McCarthy.

He thanked the former president for his help, telling reporters on Saturday morning: “I want to thank President Trump in particular. I don’t think anyone should doubt his influence.”

A split image showing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former Representative Liz Cheney. Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, tweeted a quote from former President Donald Trump to call out McCarthy for thanking him for support in gathering votes for his speakership bid. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“He really helped me get the last few votes,” McCarthy added. “What he is really saying is, really for the party and the country, we have to come together.”

These remarks drew criticism from Cheney, who rejected Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and was largely ostracized from the GOP because of his criticisms of Trump.

Cheney responded to a video of McCarthy’s remarks, including one of Trump’s comments to Justice Department officials about the 2020 election.

“‘Just say the election is corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.’ Donald Trump to Acting Attorney General and Acting Deputy AG. December 27, 2020,” the former GOP lawmaker tweeted.

“Just say the election is corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.” Donald Trump to Acting Attorney General and Acting Deputy AG. December 27, 2020. https://t.co/V6zFmnnj1m

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) January 7, 2023

The quote comes from former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue’s testimony before the House select committee that investigated the Capitol riot. Cheney was one of two Republicans who served on the panel, which accused Trump of seeking to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.

Cheney Is Alienated From GOP Over Trump

Cheney’s denial of Trump’s election fraud claims has put him at odds with most Republicans, who parrot theories of a Trump election in 2020. His feud with the former president has also exacerbated the his relationship with many of his GOP colleagues, including McCarthy.

McCarthy and Cheney once served side by side in the GOP leadership before the party voted to remove him as chairman of the House Republican Conference. In addition, McCarthy endorsed Representative Harriet Hageman over Cheney in last year’s GOP primary, which saw Hageman win by nearly 40 points.

Meanwhile, Cheney said in August that McCarthy should not be the next speaker of the House.

“He has been completely unfaithful to the Constitution and has shown a total lack of understanding of the importance and importance of the speaker’s role. So I don’t believe he should be speaker of the House. And, you know, I think that has been very clear,” Cheney said on an appearance on ABC News’ This Week.

Newsweek has reached McCarthy’s office for comment.

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