House Reps Set To Oust Cheney As Con Chair As Trump Attacks Her In Statement

House Republicans are set to vote on removing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as House Republican Conference chair in the coming minutes. The vote takes place behind closed doors but there is widespread expectation that moderate Republican Cheney will be removed as the third-most senior House Republican following her vote in favour of President Trump's impeachment in January.

• Ahead of the vote, Trump issued a statement saying that House Republicans "have a great opportunity today to rid themselves of a poor leader, a major Democrat talking point, a warmonger, and a person with absolutely no personality or heart. 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!"
• Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a loyal Trump supporter who voted against the endorsement of Pennsylvania's Electoral College votes in January, is seen as the most likely candidate to take Cheney's place.
• While the Republicans are seen as favourites to win control of both chambers of Congress in the 2022 mid-terms, the party remains divided over its fundamental nature. The majority of Republican supporters and congressional members appear dedicated to President Trump and his disproven claims of the 2020 election being stolen from him.
• However, a vocal minority of moderates such as Cheney and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) have called for the party to move on from the Trump era and its bitter rhetoric. With today's vote against Cheney seen as a done deal, this appears an unlikely outcome in the short-term.