Civil War Erupts Over Trump Inside House GOP Conference

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) demanded that Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) resign from her role as chair of the House Republican Conference, accusing her of not being loyal enough to Donald Trump.

"Liz Cheney has worked behind the scenes (and now in public) against @realDonaldTrump and his agenda. House Republicans deserve better as our Conference Chair. Liz Cheney should step down or be removed," Gaetz tweeted on Tuesday.

Gaetz's demand for Cheney to step down from her leadership role came after a number of House Republicans laced into Cheney during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans.

Politicoreported that Gaetz, along with a handful of other Republican lawmakers, were angry that Cheney had backed a primary opponent to Rep. Thomas Massie — a Kentucky Republican whom even Trump wanted out of Congress after Massie tried to thwart passage of a coronavirus relief bill.

Vulnerable Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) also aired his frustration with Cheney for saying she supports Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert and member of the coronavirus task force who faced attacks from within the White House ranks, Politico's Melanie Zanona reported.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) joined the pile-on, saying he is mad that Cheney had ever disagreed with Trump, according to Zanona's reporting.

Other Republicans have since joined Gaetz in calling for Cheney's ouster from GOP leadership, including first son Donald Trump Jr., and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

"We already have one Mitt Romney, we don't need another... we also don't need the endless wars she advocates for," Trump Jr. tweeted.

Cheney, however, has voted with Trump 96.5 percent of the time, according to FiveThirty Eight.

That's higher than both Gaetz, who has an 85.2 percent lifetime score, and Jordan, who has an 89.1 percent lifetime score.

Cheney, for her part, is the only female member of House Republican leadership, and one of just 13 Republican women in the House.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.