© Provided by Washington Examiner Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw is "sick" of the infighting within the Republican Party that could cost the GOP election outcomes in both 2022 and 2024, he told the Washington Examiner in an exclusive interview.
Crenshaw, who has been sidelined from recent political gatherings in Congress due to medical trouble with his left eye, said he was "grateful" not to have taken part in a Wednesday vote to remove Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, from her post as conference chairwoman.
"I'm very grateful to be outside that particular drama because it is just drama," he said. "It is all self-imposed drama, it is self-imposed division. Frankly, I'm very sick of it. It is the only way that we lose in [2022] and the presidency in [2024]. The only way we lose is this BS, self-imposed drama."
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The retired Navy SEAL said much of the party has splintered into "Trump loyalists" and "anti-Trumpers." He said he has declined to join either camp.
"There's both sides of it, OK, it comes from the Trump loyalists, and it comes from the anti-Trumpers, and I don't believe that I'm in either category," he said. "I'm not part of this undying loyalty cult to Trump, and I'm certainly not part of some anti-Trump cult either."
Cheney, who voted in favor of Trump's second impeachment and quickly became a thorn in the former president's side, survived one vote of no-confidence in February but was defeated on Wednesday. The Wyoming Republican, however, remains defiant and vowed to block Trump if he decided to run in 2024.
A vote on whether to put New York Rep. Elise Stefanik in the leadership role is expected to take place on Friday.
Crenshaw said he and other colleagues supported Cheney initially, though she "kept pushing and thereby lost support."
"Just be yourself," he said. "Just be yourself. When you push too hard, people resist back, and ironically, you end up in a place worse off than you wanted to be in the first place. I definitely supported Liz before, and obviously, the majority of the conference did, but she kept pushing and thereby lost support."
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The Texas representative wants his party to become "one team" united on conservative "principles."
"But I would just encourage Republicans in general: Stop trying to be part of one team or the other, you've got to start looking towards principles - what makes us conservative," he said. "We haven't been doing that enough."
Tags: News, Dan Crenshaw, Liz Cheney, House GOP, Congress, Republican Party, Republican, Donald Trump
Original Author: Jake Dima
Original Location: Dan Crenshaw warns GOP infighting 'BS' could cost Republicans future elections