Jacob Ogles
A day after Iowa’s caucuses, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said Donald Trump appears the favorite for the GOP nomination. But the Wyoming Republican said the results signaled more than that.
“If you look at the results last night in Iowa, it’s clear that he prevailed,” she said. “It’s also clear that just as many of the people who showed up to caucus voted for other candidates, and I think it’s significant that he only got something like 50% of the Iowa voters who showed up to caucus, which obviously was enough to prevail but is not necessarily a very strong showing.”
Cheney spoke to press ahead of a speech in Sarasota as part of the Ringling College Library Association’s Town Hall lecture series.
There to promote her book, Oath and Honor, she discussed her anger at Trump over his continued denial of his 2020 election loss, as well as disappointment at Republican colleagues in Congress who abetted an attempt to overthrow the election.
She noted that even before U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson emerged as House Speaker, she devoted a number of pages in her book to the Louisiana Republican’s legal maneuvering to challenge the election. Johnson was an architect of a court filing signed by most Republicans in the House questioning the constitutionality of the election.
“I have real concerns about Mike’s willingness and ability, willingness to do things that he knows are wrong, and I talked at length in my book,” she said.
“He’s a dangerous player in all of this as well. And I think the fact that, just within the last 10 days or so, he’s been unwilling to say that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, I think what it’s important for people to really be focused on as they go to vote across the country is the extent to which House Republicans are saying that they believe they have the authority to throw out the votes of millions of Americans.”
In her speech, she alluded to another close election, when George W. Bush, with her father Dick Cheney as his running mate, won the 2000 presidency only after a lengthy recount of Florida’s vote. She praised Democrat Al Gore’s gracious concession speech following a defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court pushing for a recount to continue.
That stands in contrast to Trump’s refusal to participate in a peaceful transfer of power, even of handing over nuclear codes.
She devoted much of her speech to warning Trump posed a continued threat to democracy, but only because his supporters aid and enable him. Speaking in the county that former Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn calls home, she called the Venice Republican a specific threat to democracy.
“Go back and look at an interview that Mike Flynn gave on December 18 of 2020 in which he said, with all seriousness, that Donald Trump should deploy the military to see voting machines and to attempt to rerun the election in swing states,” she said. “Donald Trump has said he thinks Mike Flynn would be a great National Security Adviser.”
She also said some individuals in Congress can’t be trusted to be a bulwark against any illegal activity by Trump.
“The Republicans in the Senate will not stand up to him,” she said. “Marco Rubio, who just endorsed him, will not stand up.”
3 comments
Flash Light
January 16, 2024 at 4:02 pm
Liz Cheney will not be heard by hard-core supporters of #45. Her comments and views will only solidify opposition to his current candidacy.
To beat back the threats she outlines, it will require hard commited on-the-ground work to get voter turnout where it needs to be in November. Speeches and pundritry are nice, but voters have to vote.
Bill Pollard
January 17, 2024 at 8:28 am
Trump did not get the blowout support that was expected. Upcoming primaries will show whether he has better than support than he got in Iowa. Also, if more candidates drop out, will one of the remaining ones pick up most of the support of the ones who dropped out? That could change the whole Republican race.
KAL
January 17, 2024 at 2:51 pm
Liz Cheney and the three woman who testified about what really happend in the Trump White House have more ovaries than the men have balls. What a bunch of whims they are, only concerned about their future and bank accounts. No care at all for the people or constitution they are suppose to represent. Government is for ALL the people. Where did their moral compass go? Most of the honerable public servants have left government. So many lies and mistruths going around. Educate yourself fully by reading and listening to all news channels, not just one so people can make a really educated decision not based on emotion but more facts. The prood is in the pudding and out of Trumps mouth. Look at what he has done and said. It is right their in your face and out of Trumps mouth! He lies, lies lies. If their was no truth to those lies, why are their so many lawsuits?
Why has the courts uphealed so many decicions against Trump and his organizations? Trump government supporters are afraid of him and only looking out for themselves and/or want to enrich their already rich bank accounts and those of their billionaires friends. Why would anyone in their right minds send donations of their hard earned money to an already rich billionaire? Does that make any sense at all? All they are doing is providing funds to pay for his attorney fees, his illegal deeds so he doesn’t have to pay out of his own pocket. God help our contry is he is re-elected. He will be a vindictive dictator and we will never get rid of him! He wants to be Putin! He admires Putin! Really? That’s who people want to be our President? A vote for Trump is a vote for what happend January 6th on our government. More death threats, attacking police, polititcians and our nations capitol? We will see much more of that if he is re-elected. I am ashamed of our country right now and we are the laughing stock of the other nations. Jerry Springer time. Social media has ruined our country. People believe anything that is put out there instead of doing their homework. I can’t believe so many are so gullible. It is pathedic that people are more concerned about their bank account than each other. We are all human beings.
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