Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) says she thinks only a few of her colleagues actually believe former President Donald Trump‘s unfounded claim that the election was stolen.
ABC News’ Jon Karl asked Cheney during an interview that aired on Sunday, “How many of your colleagues actually believe that stuff, actually believe the election was stolen?”
“I think it’s a relatively small number,” she responded.
Karl noted that Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said he believes only a “handful” of Republicans actually believe the election was stolen, an assessment Cheney said she agrees with.
He asked, “So they’re just doing it to placate Donald Trump?”
“You know, I think that we as a party are in a situation with respect to the former president that is really dangerous,” Cheney said.
Watch the video below:
.@jonkarl: "How many of your colleagues actually believe that stuff—actually believe the election was stolen?"
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 16, 2021
Rep. Liz Cheney: "I think it's a relatively small number." https://t.co/FUcMvx8Wz2 pic.twitter.com/bNj96u2M6E
House Republicans voted to strip Cheney of her position as Conference chair on Wednesday after her criticism of the former president.
Ahead of the vote, Cheney argued that Republicans should “stand for genuinely conservative principles, and steer away from the dangerous and anti-democratic Trump cult of personality.”
In a speech on the House floor, she said, “Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.”
Cheney also said it is “very dangerous” that her colleagues replaced her with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who Karl claimed was chosen to further Trump’s unfounded election claims.
He asked, “Do you say ‘dangerous’ as in January 6th could happen again? Or something worse?”
“I think there’s no question,” Cheney said, adding, “We’ve now seen the consequences. We’ve seen how far President Trump was willing to go. We’ve seen not only his provocation of the attack, but his refusal to send help when it was needed, his refusal to immediately say, ‘stop.’ And that in and of itself, in my view, was a very clear violation of his oath and of his duty.”