House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is hailing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the former House Republican Conference chair, as a “leader of great courage” and “patriotism.”
In a statement after Republicans voted to strip Cheney of her leadership position, Pelosi said, “Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity. Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican Party.”
“The Republican denial of the truth presented by Congresswoman Cheney is reflected in their denial of the need to seek the truth in a January 6th commission and to repair the damage of January 6th with a security supplemental immediately,” she continued.
Finally, she said, “For the sake of our democracy, reasonable Republicans across the country must take back their party.”
Read the statement below:
PELOSI ON CHENEY: "Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity. Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican party." pic.twitter.com/sh6xvqs0bs
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) May 12, 2021
House Republicans voted on Wednesday morning to oust Cheney from her leadership position after she continued to speak out against former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the election.
On Tuesday evening, the Wyoming Congresswoman claimed, “We face a threat America has never seen before. A former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him.”
She went on to say Trump still poses a risk of “inciting further violence.”
“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,” she added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also weighed in on the push to oust Cheney from leadership, which he called a “sad, a very dark moment for the Republican Party.”