Wyoming GOP Votes to Expel Liz Cheney over Trump Criticism

 The Wyoming Republican party voted to expel Republican Representative Liz Cheney over the weekend over her criticism of former President Trump and his instigation of the January 6 Capitol Riot.

In a 31-29 vote, the state party cut ties with Cheney and ended her recognition as a Wyoming Republican. Prompted by some state central committee members, a resolution urged Congress to strip her of her committee assignments and disqualify her as a Republican “to assist and expedite her seamless exodus from the Republican Party,” the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Cheney’s spokesman dismissed the committee’s decision, chastising the members for being more loyal to what he suggested is demagoguery rather than conservative principles.

“She is bound by her oath to the Constitution,” spokesman Jeremy Adler told The Washington Post. “Sadly, a portion of the Wyoming GOP leadership has abandoned that fundamental principle, and instead allowed themselves to be held hostage to the lies of a dangerous and irrational man.”

Directly following the January 6 riot, in which a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol premises ahead of the certification of the 2020 electoral results, Cheney accused the former president of inciting the violence with his inflammatory rhetoric. She was one of ten House Republicans to depart from the party line and vote to impeach Trump for fomenting the riot.

“The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney said in a statement after the riot. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

Cheney was expelled from her post as House GOP Conference Chair in May as she continued to criticize Trump for insisting that he won the election. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said at the time that many lawmakers had “lost confidence” in Cheney’s leadership abilities.

After the vote, she continued to reject the Trump team’s allegations that the 2020 election was “stolen.”

“We must go forward based on truth. We cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the Constitution,” Cheney said following the vote to oust her from her role. “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Cheney as one of two Republicans, along with Adam Kinzinger, to serve on the committee investigating the Capitol riot. In September, Cheney was tapped to lead the committee, with Chairman and Democratic representative Bennie Thompson endorsing her.

“Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people,” Thompson said in a statement. “Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee, and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort.”