Tag: liz cheney
Liz Cheney

New Book: 'Dismissive' McCarthy Blew Off Cheney's January 6 Warning

When Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) approached then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building, Cheney — according to the Carol Leonnig/Philip Rucker book I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Yearangrily snapped at him, "Get away from me! You f****** did this."

Cheney and then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) went on to serve alongside Democrats on the January 6 Select Committee. Both of them forcefully pushed back against Trump's false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, and according to Kinzinger, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wanted Cheney to keep quiet about Trump in the days leading up the January 6 insurrection.

Kinzinger, according to the Guardian, discusses tensions between Cheney and McCarthy in his forthcoming book, Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country, due out October 31.

The Guardian's Martin Pengelly, noting that the publication has obtained a copy of Kinzinger's book, explains, "When Liz Cheney warned fellow Republicans five days before January 6 of a 'dark day' to come if they 'indulged in the fantasy' that they could overturn Donald Trump's defeat by Joe Biden, the then-House GOP leader, Kevin McCarthy, swiftly slapped her down…. Five days after Cheney delivered her warning on a Republican conference call, Trump supporters attacked Congress in an attempt to block certification of Biden's win."

In his book, Kinzinger writes, "After Liz spoke, McCarthy immediately told everyone who was listening, 'I just want to be clear: Liz doesn't speak for the conference. She speaks for herself.'"

Kinzinger slams McCarthy's statement as "unnecessary and disrespectful" in his book, adding, "It infuriated me."

According to Kinzinger, McCarthy's "rude and dismissive tone….. was typical of (his) style, which was notably juvenile."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

'Unfounded': Scientists Debunk RFK Jr. Claim That Chemicals Make Kids Gay

The saying that "politics make strange bedfellows" has never been more accurate than it is in 2023.

On one hand, former Rep. Liz Cheney — an arch-conservative neocon — gets a lot of respect from Democrats these days for aggressively calling out former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. At the same time, Democratic presidential candidate and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Sr. — is being praised by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his anti-vaxxer views.

RFK Jr. has drawn a great deal of criticism from medical experts for claiming that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, are dangerous and that childhood vaccines can lead to autism. Now, according to CNN, medical experts are calling him out for promoting "unfounded conspiracies that man-made chemicals in the environment could be making children gay or transgender and causing the feminization of boys and masculinization of girls."

CNN reporters Abby Turner and Andrew Kaczynski, in an article published on July 13, explain, "Experts dispute the claims from Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, and told CNN's KFile his theories that 'sexual identification' and 'gender confusion' among children could be from their exposure to 'endocrine disruptors' found in the environment are completely unfounded."

Turner and Kaczynski report that CNN "spoke to multiple experts who said there is no link between endocrine disruptors and children's gender and sexuality." The journalists stress that although there are legitimate environmental concerns about the quality of drinking water in the United States, nothing in the water will turn a person gay.

"While sex in in frogs is determined by environmental factors such as temperature and chemicals, Dr. Andrea Gore, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at University of Texas at Austin, said the sex of humans is determined at the moment of conception, and cannot later be altered by endocrine-disrupting chemicals," the CNN journalists report. "The baseless claim that chemicals — particularly in tap water — could turn people gay has gained popularity with conspiracy theorists over the years, most memorably with conservative radio host Alex Jones, who said chemicals in the water were 'turning the friggin' frogs gay.'"

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Liz Cheney

Cheney Warns College Students: Republicans Want To Block Your Vote

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) made a point Sunday to be transparent with graduates of her alma mater, Colorado College, Politicoreports.

As the school's 2023 commencement speaker, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney shared details of her experience standing up to former President Donald Trump following the January 6 insurrection.

Cheney told the graduates, "After the 2020 election and the attack of January 6th, my fellow Republicans wanted me to lie. They wanted me to say the 2020 election was stolen, the attack of January 6th wasn't a big deal, and Donald Trump wasn't dangerous. I had to choose between lying and losing my position in House leadership."

The former GOP lawmaker continued, "No party, no nation, no people can defend and perpetuate a constitutional republic if they accept leaders who have gone to war with the rule of law, with the democratic process, with the peaceful transfer of power, with the Constitution itself."

Cheney emphasized, "This country needs more of you in office. You may have noticed that men are pretty much running things these days, and it's not really going all that well," emphasizing, "You can change that."

Additionally, Cheney highlighted the fact that GOP lawyer Cleta Mitchell recently "urged fellow GOP members to join together in an effort to 'limit voting on college campuses, same-day voter registration and automatic mailing of ballots to registered voters.'"

Cheney said, "Cleta Mitchell, a political operative and an election denier, told a gathering of Republicans recently that it’s crucially important that they make sure that college students don't vote. Those who are trying to unravel the foundations of our republic, who are threatening the rule of law and the sanctity of elections know they cannot succeed if you vote. So, Class of 2023, get out and vote."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney Firing First Shot In Her 2024 Campaign Against Trump (VIDEO)

Former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has fired the opening salvo of her post-congressional mission to destroy Donald Trump's political career.

Cheney has chosen CNN's exclusive town hall Wednesday night with Donald Trump as her first advance. Her weapon of choice is a brutal 60-second ad, funded by her super PAC and jam packed with violent footage of the January 6 insurrection.

Cheney, who narrates the entire spot but never appears, opens with, "Donald Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to guarantee the peaceful transfer of power."

Amid original footage of Trump's "Stop the Steal" speech that day, Cheney continues, "He lost the election and he knew it. He betrayed millions of Americans by telling them the election was stolen."

As attendees proceed toward the Capitol, Cheney says, "Rather than accept his defeat, he mobilized a mob to come to Washington and march on the Capitol."

Over scenes of rioters clashing with police, breaching the barricades, and breaking into the Capitol lobby, Cheney continues, "Then he watched on television while the mob attacked law enforcement, invaded the Capitol, and hunted the vice president."

Cheney notes that Trump refused to tell his followers to leave for three hours.

"There has never been a greater dereliction of duty by any president," Cheney states.

Even though Trump was warned his plans were illegal, she says, he ignored those warnings and still celebrates the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol.

Trump has proven he's unfit for office, Cheney says, warning, "Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again."

The ad relays a story most reality-based Americans already know but is unique in presenting such a clear and succinct narrative all in one place. The rapid progression from Trump's incitement to the violent assault on law enforcement officers and the U.S. seat of government still shocks anyone with a conscience and lick of patriotism.

The CNN town hall is also an ideal venue for Cheney to reach her target audience—both voters who support Trump but overwhelmingly want to win next year, and Republicans who plan to vote for the GOP nominee and are assessing Trump's viability. In short, both groups contain people who plan to vote Republican but are open to or prefer someone besides Trump. The spot takes aim at anyone in need of a nudge to peel away from Trump.

Cheney has yet to announce whether she plans to run for president. But traditionally speaking, it would be weird for anyone planning a 2024 bid to, in their own voice, narrate an ad directly attacking a rival. A much safer bet would be so-called voice-of-god narration funded by Cheney's super PAC. In that sense, Cheney's self-narration makes for an interesting choice.

In many ways, the ad appears to be the culmination of Cheney's efforts on the Jan. 6 panel—as if she had long envisioned making this spot in the event of another Trump run and was laying the groundwork all along.

On May 15, 2021, shortly after being ousted from her House Republican leadership post, Cheney stood before a gaggle of reporters and pledged, "I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office."

To date, every endeavor Cheney has undertaken has been in service of that goal. She's really the only establishment Republican who understands that she doesn't have a party so long as Trump controls it. The supposedly astute Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has never caught on to that fact.

Cheney won't make a vanity run for president just to feed her ego. The only way she enters the contest is if she truly believes it's the best path to destroying Donald Trump. For now, Cheney is committed to that outcome and that outcome alone. Her CNN debut spot is the perfect embodiment of a precision strike designed to inflict maximum damage.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.