Cheney lays Republican disarray squarely on McCarthy sucking up to Trump

Former Rep. Liz Cheney

As House Republicans enter a fourth leaderless week ripe for more intractable tumult, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming reminded the country of the original sin that landed us here: then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy kissing up to Donald Trump just weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

"What you're seeing right now among the Republicans in the House is a direct result of the decisions that Kevin McCarthy made to embrace Donald Trump, to embrace the most radical and extreme members of our party—to elevate them," Cheney said Sunday on CBS's “Face The Nation.”

.@Liz_Cheney: "What you're seeing right now among the Republicans in the house is a direct result of the decisions that Kevin McCarthy made to embrace Donald Trump, to embrace the most radical and extreme members of our party...it's a disgrace, and it's an embarrassment." pic.twitter.com/f7qMZR1D5M

— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) October 22, 2023

Though Cheney said the House GOP disarray isn't a surprise, she noted that it is "a disgrace, and it's an embarrassment."

Cheney added that whomever Republicans finally land upon, it's particularly important the next speaker isn’t an election denier. She also said that everyone seeking the speaker nomination should be asked about their commitment to aiding Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion.

"They should be asked from the perspective of: We face a global challenge, an existential threat, and how in the world could anybody defend at this moment, surrendering to one of our adversaries by walking away from Ukraine?" she said, pinpointing what are arguably the two most urgent questions facing the House Republican conference and the country.