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House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy snubbed Rep. Liz Cheney and endorsed her opponent in an upcoming Republican Party primary – a rare move by a congressional leader against one of his own members.
McCarthy announced Thursday he was endorsing Harriet Hageman, who is challenging Cheney for Wyoming’s sole House seat.
Cheney has been a target of some hardline Republicans over her sharp criticisms of former President Donald Trump and her role as one of only two members of the GOP on the House select committee investigating the 2021 Capitol riot.
“The most successful Representatives in Congress focus on the needs of their constituents, and throughout her career, Harriet has championed America’s natural resources and helped the people of Wyoming reject burdensome and onerous government overreach,” McCarthy said.
“I look forward to welcoming Harriet to a Republican majority next Congress, where together, we will hold the Biden Administration accountable and deliver much-needed solutions for the American people.”
The endorsement from the minority leader comes as Republicans look to take back the majority in the November elections to break up all-Democratic control in the White House, Senate and House.
The effort to oust Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, may have reverberations not only for the next Congress but the Republican Party in years to come as fissures continue between pro-Trump members and several members who have conceded he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Hageman had previously netted the endorsement of Trump, whom Cheney voted to impeach last year for his role in the Jan. 6 riot, which disrupted certification of Biden’s win over Trump.
Wyoming GOP members voted to censure Cheney for voting for the impeachment last year, then voted to no longer recognize her as a party member because of her criticisms of Trump. The Republican National Committee voted this month to censure Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, for their roles as the only two Republicans on the Jan. 6 select committee.
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