Former President George W. Bush is opening his checkbook for two Republicans known for their staunch opposition to former President Donald Trump.
Bush is listed in campaign finance data as a donor for Liz Cheney, a Wyoming congresswoman who voted in favor of the second impeachment effort targeting Trump and who frequently deplores his influence on the Republican Party. Cheney is the daughter of Dick Cheney, Bush’s vice president.
Bush also recently contributed to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who supported the second impeachment effort as well.
Campaign finance data published by the Federal Election Commission on Monday reveals Bush donated $5,800 to Cheney at the end of 2021, the maximum individual contribution, according to Politico.
Bush donated $2,900 — the maximum donation in a Senate primary election — to Murkowski.
The establishment political heir had never donated previously to Murkowski, suggesting that the Alaska senator’s anti-Trump stance may have seized his attention.
Murkowski is considered one of the most liberal Republican senators in Washington, having previously voted against the confirmation of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a nominee of Trump.
Trump has endorsed Murkowski’s challenger in Alaska’s Republican primary, former state Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka.
Murkowski — who has lost a state Republican primary before, only to run as an independent candidate — has faced a censure from the Alaska Republican Party, which finally lost patience with the senator after she supported the second effort to remove Trump from office.
Cheney herself also faces a serious primary challenge from Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman, with polls indicating that Cheney trails considerably.
In spite of polling showing Cheney’s unpopularity in Wyoming, she’s out-fundraised her opponent, with D.C. and coastal political elites providing the rogue Republican with millions in cash and propping up what some conservatives have called a form of controlled opposition within the GOP.
Cheney fundraised more than $1.9 million in the last quarter of 2021, Politico reported.
Murkowski has attracted attention from big-money donors as well, finishing 2021 with more than $4.2 million on hand.
Already a black sheep among House Republicans, Cheney has further distanced herself from conservatives by participating in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Jan. 6 committee.
Bush departed office as one of the most unpopular presidents in American history, with critics on both the left and the right pointing to his belligerent foreign policy and the collapse of the American financial system at the end of his presidency.
The 43rd president routinely claims he’s retired from politics and uninterested in fame, only to surface with pro-establishment statements and rhetoric every few months.
Bush appeared to target American citizens in a 9/11 commemoration speech last year, likening those he deemed “extremists” to al-Qaida terrorists.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
