Pelosi: GOP in Cheney ouster declared ‘courage, patriotism and integrity’ not welcome

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday condemned House Republicans for voting to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her GOP conference leadership post, declaring that the Republican Party does not welcome values of “courage, patriotism and integrity.” 

Pelosi in a statement released by her office following Republican lawmakers’ overwhelming vote in favor of dumping Cheney as the No. 3 House Republican said, “For the sake of our democracy, reasonable Republicans across the country must take back their party.”

“Congresswoman Liz Cheney is a leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity,” the Speaker wrote. “Today, House Republicans declared that those values are unwelcome in the Republican party.” 

Pelosi went on to say, “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.” 

Pelosi has proposed creating a congressional commission to investigate the Jan. 6 pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol, which led to the deaths of multiple people and dozens of injuries. Republicans want to broaden the scope of the commission’s investigation. Democrats are also putting forth a bill calling for increased funding to enhance security at the Capitol. 

The decision to oust Cheney, which was made in a voice vote during a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning, was widely expected as a growing number of GOP members condemned Cheney for refuting former President Trump’s claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and for voting to impeach him for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 

Cheney immediately after the vote Wednesday told reporters that she will continue to push back on Trump’s remarks and actions, adding, “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.” 

Many House Republicans have vowed to replace Cheney with Trump ally Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who minutes after the vote to remove Cheney publicly released a letter to colleagues formally announcing her bid for the House leadership position. 

“I strongly believe that one of the most important qualities in any leader is the commitment and ability to listen,” she wrote. “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.”

However, some Republicans argue that Stefanik, a traditionally moderate Republican who in the past has voted in support of Democratic bills and against a 2017 tax-cut law, is not conservative enough to represent the conference. 

Several Republicans defended the Wednesday vote to remove Cheney, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who said, “You can’t have a conference chair who recites Democrat talking points.” 

Meanwhile, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, suggested Cheney had been “canceled” for “speaking her mind and disagreeing with the narrative that President Trump has put forth.”