© (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters after House Republicans voted to oust her from her leadership post as chair of the House Republican Conference because of her repeated criticism of former President Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud and his role in instigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
House Republicans voted Wednesday to remove Liz Cheney from her leadership position as conference chairwoman, an unsurprising but significant move that cements the party's alignment with former President Donald Trump.
Within minutes of the Wednesday morning conference meeting starting, Republicans held a recall of Cheney's leadership role by voice vote. Unlike the first attempt to oust her that easily fell short in February, her fate was inevitable this time around with both leadership and more rank-and-file members irked by her willingness to buck Trump and her own party.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a moderate member and staunch defender of Trump, is likely to replace her as the No. 3 Republican even amid some conservative consternation about her voting record, though the vote to find a successor won't happen until at least later in the week.
Since her vote to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Cheney has been openly defiant of the former president and his false claims about a stolen election. But Cheney, who was once seen as a possible contender for House speaker, didn't put up a fight to hang onto her role but urged the party after Wednesday's vote "that we must go forward based on truth" and noted that she'll fight to stop Trump from coming back to the White House.
"Our freedom only survives if we protect it. Today we face a threat America has never seen before: A former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans the election was stolen from him. He risks inciting more violence," Cheney said in a Tuesday night floor speech.
"I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president's crusade to undermine our democracy," she added.
Despite her conservative voting record and support for most of Trump's agenda, Cheney was no longer seen by most of her colleagues, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, as a viable option to lead the GOP's messaging heading into the 2022 midterms. McCarthy on Wednesday again called for unity in the party as they seek to look past months of internal conflicts that many in the party worry could threaten their efforts to take back the majorities in Congress.
Trump, who continues to maintain his grip on the GOP, has repeatedly lashed out at Cheney and has vowed to fight against her reelection to Wyoming's at-large House seat.
"As a representative of the Great State of Wyoming, Liz Cheney is bad for our country and bad for herself. Almost everyone in the Republican Party, including 90% of Wyoming, looks forward to her ouster - and that includes me!" Trump said in a statement before the vote.
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