President Joe Biden is weighing in after Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) was purged from her leadership post.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell noted that Biden met with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other congressional leaders on Wednesday about finding common agreements. However, just before their meeting, McCarthy was part of the vote to oust Cheney from her leadership position.
Biden was asked how he can “accept” what McCarthy says now “as something that you’re actually going to legislate a few weeks from now or months from now.”
“If a man looks me in the eye, gives me his word that something’s going to happen, I take it unless he breaks it,” Biden replied.
He added, “But the Liz Cheney/McCarthy thing is above my pay grade. I mean, I have enough trouble figuring out my own party all the time, let alone the Republicans.”
Watch Biden’s comments below:
President Biden responds to the removal of Rep. Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership:
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 13, 2021
"The Liz Cheney, McCarthy thing is above my pay grade. I mean, I have enough trouble figuring out my own party all the time, let alone the Republicans." pic.twitter.com/HIyuim83lw
After Cheney was purged from the leadership post, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) launched a bid for House Republican Conference chair.
“This week, I have had hundreds of productive and informative conversations with Members from all corners of our Conference,” Stefanik wrote in a letter to her colleagues. “Today I humbly ask to earn your vote for House Republican Conference Chair to unify our message as a team and win the Majority in 2022.”
Stefanik has garnered some support among Republicans for the post, including McCarthy.
The White House responded to the ouster vote, as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during Wednesday’s press briefing, “It’s disturbing to see any leader, regardless of party, being attacked for simply speaking the truth.”
After the vote, Cheney vowed to “do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”
Additionally, Cheney spoke about the vote during a “Today” show interview, saying, “It’s a moment where we have to decide as a party whether we’re going to embrace the truth.”