Meghan McCain promises ‘consequences’ if Republicans oust Cheney
Meghan McCain on Wednesday slammed Republicans working to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her House GOP leadership position, promising “consequences one way or another” if she is forced out of her post.
“I feel very defensive of Liz Cheney and if you do this, which it looks like they’re gonna do, I promise you there will be consequences, one way or another there’s going to be consequences,” McCain said on “The View.”
.@MeghanMcCain: “The message that’s being sent by the highest member of Republicans in Congress is that women like me and Liz Cheney, who refuse to bend the knee to President Trump but still remain loyal Republicans — we don’t have a place in this party.” pic.twitter.com/9U8XqlaYUZ
— The View (@TheView) May 5, 2021
In the fiery segment, McCain called the group of Republicans supporting the ouster of Cheney a “sausage fest of MAGA.”
“Go ahead in this sausage fest of MAGA up on Capitol Hill, pull her out and put another woman in who will do and say anything you want for President Trump. ‘The election wasn’t stolen, he is Jesus, it’s only Trumpism going forward’ — see where this lands us in midterms. I’m absolutely furious,” McCain added.
McCain’s comments come after House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) earlier Wednesday joined other allies of former President Trump in pushing to remove Cheney from her post as House Republican conference chair. Scalise said he backed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a staunch supporter of Trump, for the position.
On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was reportedly caught on mic saying he has “had it” with Cheney, adding “I think she’s got real problems.”
Cheney is in hot water with some of her colleagues for repeatedly criticizing Trump as well as speaking up against his baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
McCain, a co-host on “The View,” said Republicans are “shivving” Cheney for refusing to “debase herself” to Trump.
“They’re shivving her for her going on television multiple times and saying that the election wasn’t stolen, and for refusing to debase herself to Cheeto Jesus,” McCain said.
McCain went on to ask her co-hosts what they would do if they were in a situation where women, specifically like her and Cheney, “are being told you are irrelevant, what you believe is garbage and, by the way, you have to believe in a lie to be accepted in this party. What do you do?”
She said the message being sent by Republicans in Congress is that “women like me and Liz Cheney, who refused to bend the knee to President Trump but still remain loyal Republicans, we don’t have a place in this party, we are worthless, we are not worth fighting for to keep.”
McCain also looked ahead to the 2022 midterms, calling Republicans’ strategy “the most asinine politics I’ve seen in a really, really long time, in a cacophony of asinine politics.”
She said instead of focusing on actions Biden has taken to expand government, GOP lawmakers are going to “bloodlet the party from women like me, college-educated women that lost you the election in the first place.”
She added that the Cheney saga is an example of the GOP once again “doubling down that Trump is the future,” even though that strategy lost them four Senate seats in the 2020 election.
“This is now the Republican Party versus Democracy. That’s why you’re upset today, because you know that’s true,” co-host Joy Behar said to McCain.
“I do know that’s true,” McCain responded.
“This is a good morning for you because you should feel very good about the midterms going forward, because we’re gonna lose this thing if this is the direction they’re going,” she added.
Top allies of McCarthy have signaled that Cheney will not be House GOP Conference Chairwoman by the end of the month, as Republicans are becoming increasingly frustrated with her repeatedly undermining the party’s message and efforts to win back the control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections.
On Wednesday, however, Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler said in a statement to The Hill that “This is about much more than a House leadership fight.”
“Liz will have more to say in the coming days,” he added.
Updated at 2:24 p.m.
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