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GOP Rep. Blasts Cheney For Grandstanding Impeachment Stunt: She Is ‘Unfit To Lead’

Matt Rosendale

Montana Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale demanded House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney step down from leadership over supporting Trump’s impeachment.

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Montana Republican Freshman Rep. Matt Rosendale demanded House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney step down from leadership after the Wyoming congresswoman endorsed President Donald Trump’s impeachment Tuesday.

Rosendale, who served as state auditor until being sworn into the House this month, said in a statement that Cheney came out in favor of impeachment without consulting the Republican caucus.

“When Representative Cheney came out in favor of impeachment today, she failed to consult with the Conference, failed to abide by the spirit of the rules of the Republican Conference, and ignored the preferences of Republican voters,” Rosendale said in a statement. “She is weakening our conference at a key moment for personal political gain and is unfit to lead. She must step down as Conference Chair.”

Cheney has only been in Congress since her election in 2016, leaping to the coveted position as the number three GOP leader in the lower chamber after her first term thanks in no small part to her family name.

Cheney joined Democrats in their 11th-hour attempt to oust the president in proceedings almost certain to last even after Trump leaves office next week. In a statement, Cheney charged Trump as responsible for the Capitol Hill riots that interfered with the congressional business of certifying the results of the Electoral College.

Trump “summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” Cheney claimed, echoing Democrat use of the crimes for political gain.

Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California remained opposed to impeachment Tuesday night as Democrats passed a resolution demanding Vice President Mike Pence trigger the 25th Amendment to remove Trump with Cabinet approval, a move Pence rejected hours before the vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged a vote on impeachment Wednesday in the absence of Pence’s action. McCarthy, however, is not courting members to vote no on the measure.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is reportedly pleased with Democrats’ impeachment effort, according to The New York Times, believing the move would make it easier to purge Trump from the party. A successful impeachment bars the president from ever holding public office again.