The House Republican conference removed Cheney behind closed doors Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill.
Instead of a secret ballot, the ouster occurred by a voice vote of members. That means there are no recorded totals.
Speaking to the media shortly after the vote, Cheney promised to forge ahead, saying in her words, “We cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president” and vowing to prevent former President Trump from ever regaining the presidency.
Cheney stated, “We have had the conference meeting. I am absolutely committed as I said last night, as I said just now to my colleagues that we must go forward based on truth. We cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the Constitution. And going forward, the nation needs it, the nation needs a strong Republican party, the nation needs a party that that is based upon fundamental principles of conservatism, and I am committed and dedicated to ensuring that that’s how this party goes forward, and I plan to lead the fight to do that.”
When asked if she felt betrayed by Wednesday’s vote, Cheney replied, “I do not. I think that it is an indication of where the Republican party is, and I think that the party is in a place that we’ve got to bring it back from, and we’ve got to get back to a position where we are a party that can fight for conservative principles that can fight for substance, we cannot be dragged backward by the very dangerous lies of a former president, thank you.”
Cheney delivered a defiant speech on the House floor Tuesday night strongly defending herself.
She has come under fire for condemning former President Trump’s falsehoods about the 2020 election and for voting to impeach him for inciting the January 6th Capitol riot.
It’s still unclear who Cheney’s successor will be.
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