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McCarthy sets Wednesday vote on Liz Cheney leadership ouster

Liz Cheney
Posted at 6:22 PM, May 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-11 20:34:10-04

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has set a Wednesday vote for removing Rep. Liz Cheney from her No. 3 Republican leadership post.

The California Republican sent a letter Monday to GOP lawmakers saying it was clear that he and his fellow Republicans "need to make a change."

McCarthy's letter did not mention Cheney or former President Donald Trump by name.

But the move comes after Cheney repeatedly challenged Trump's false assertions pinning his November reelection defeat on widespread voting fraud and criticized Trump's role in encouraging supporters' Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

On Tuesday, the Wyoming Congresswoman spoke one day before House Republicans are expected to vote to remove her from leadership.

"We face a threat America has never seen before: A former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him," Cheney said.

Cheney seems all but certain to be tossed from her leadership job.

"Our duty is clear: Every one of us who has sworn the oath must act to prevent the unraveling of our democracy," Cheney said on Tuesday. "This is not about policy. This is not about partisanship. This is about our duty as Americans. Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar."