By Rosetta Miller Perry
Tribune publisher
There are still a few members of the Republican Party who put ethics and personal morality ahead of popularity and seeking power. Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney has done just that by publicly coming out in support of Donald Trump’s impeachment. She has become a pariah in GOP circles, attacked by her former comrades, and under fire in her home state by gutless Republicans afraid to speak the truth and acknowledge Trump’s shameful conduct.
She said last week that “On January 6, 2021, a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death, and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.”
“Much more will become clear in the coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” she continued. “Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
She concluded by saying “I will vote to impeach the President.” She later followed through and voted to impeach Trump. Cheney did get some Republican support, most notably from Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who wrote on Twitter: “Let’s get some truth on the record: @Liz_Cheney has a hell of a lot more backbone than most, & is a principled leader with a fierce intellect. She will continue to be a much-needed leader in the conference, with my full support. We can disagree without tearing each other apart.”
But the general GOP reaction was mirrored by the response of the Wyoming Republican Party. They released a statement two days later attacking her. “The wind in Wyoming has been horrendous today—with gusts up to 65 miles per hour. That is nothing compared to the whirlwind created by Representative Cheney’s announcement that she would be voting to impeach President Trump and her subsequent follow-through of doing just that.”
“There has not been a time during our tenure when we have seen this type of an outcry from our fellow Republicans, with the anger and frustration being palpable in the comments we have received. Our telephone has not stopped ringing, our email is filling up, and our website has seen more traffic than at any previous time. The consensus is clear that those who are reaching out to the Party vehemently disagree with Representative Cheney’s decision and actions.”
Well, whether the state voted for Trump or not doesn’t really matter. He lost and what they did has zero impact in regards to what that mob did. Even if a majority of Wyoming voters support that action (which has not been shown or proven), it remains that it was illegal, cost five people their lives, and represented insurrection at its worse.
It is probably too much to hope that others in the Republican Party will do what’s right and vote to impeach Trump. They are too busy angling for position to run for President in 2024 and want to curry favor with the same voters who seem unable to ever find anything Trump ever does or says wrong.
But the Tribune salutes Liz Cheney for her courage and only wish more in the Republican Party were like her.
