Hawley says Cheney ‘spiraling,’ ‘out-of-step’ amid Trump backlash

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is “sort of spiraling” as House Republicans appear increasingly likely to oust her from their No. 3 leadership spot.

Hawley, during an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast, sidestepped if Cheney should be removed from leadership, noting it was up to his House counterparts, but said that he thought Cheney was out of line with Republicans on not only former President Trump but also foreign policy.

“I don’t know her personally, I think she’s sort of spiraling if you look at the things that she’s saying, the claims that she’s making,” Hawley said.

“I think she’s out-of-step with Republican voters. … I just think this is somebody who does not really represent Republicans,” Hawley added.

Hawley’s comments come after Cheney told the New York Post late last month that she viewed efforts to challenge the 2020 election results as “disqualifying” for some 2024 hopefuls. Cheney didn’t mention Hawley by name.

“I think we have a huge number of interesting candidates, but I think that we’re going to be in a good position to be able to take the White House. I do think that some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge, not to certify the election, you know, in my view that’s disqualifying,” she said.

Hawley was at the forefront of the effort to challenge the election results in Congress, where he was the first Senate Republican to announce an objection. Because House Republicans were already on board, Hawley’s decision ensured Trump allies that there would be debates and votes in the House and Senate on the objections to the Electoral College results for just the third time since 1887.

In addition to Hawley, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) are among the Senate’s 2024 hopefuls who voted for at least one objection during Congress’s counting of the Electoral College vote.

Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump earlier this year after a mob of his supporters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6. She also hasn’t shied away from criticizing the former president since then, including calling claims that the election was stolen the “big lie.”

Trump has repeatedly made the false claim that the election was “stolen,” even as the courts dismissed dozens of challenges from his legal team and election experts have dismissed accusations of widespread fraud.