Deputy Andy Biggs, head of House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News that he asked Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., To step down from her leadership post after publicly announcing that she would vote for President Trump’s impeachment.
Biggs’ comment seems to expose the first fissures within the Republican Party. The dividing line appears to be those who still see Trump as the party leader and those who want to move on as quickly as possible after the Capitol riots last week.
Cheney, the president of the House’s GOP Conference, said she plans to support the Democrats’ impeachment effort for Trump. She released a statement that the January 6 uprising “caused injuries, death and destruction in the most sacred space of our Republic”.
McCONNELL SUPPORTS MOVING TO START IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES: SOURCES
She blamed Trump for fueling anger. She said that he “lit the flame for this attack. Everything that followed was his work”.
ROY BLUNT BALANCES ATTEMPT TO PREVENT TRUMP AGAIN: ‘IT WILL NOT HAPPEN’
Biggs told Fox News @ Night that Cheney does not represent the conference with these comments and that she should resign.
“I don’t think she should preside over the Republican conference anymore,” he told host Shannon Bream. “The reality is that she is not representing the conference; she is not representing republican ideals.”
He said he is not alone and believes that others will also express their disapproval of Cheney. He said that if she were an ordinary member, her comments would probably be ignored, but she is the third leader of the Republican Party.
Cheney’s office did not immediately respond to an out-of-hours e-mail from Fox News. Five Republicans in the House said they would vote for impeachment.
Trump is about to become the only president in history to suffer two impeachment cases. The House passed a resolution on Tuesday night urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump with a Cabinet vote, although Pence had already said he would not.
GET FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Cheney said in a previous statement: “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
Biggs said he voted against the resolution urging Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. He said in a statement that “the individuals who committed the crimes on the US Capitol last week are the only ones to blame for their violent actions.
“And yet, Democrats want to blame President Trump for the violence that occurred on Capitol Hill – a continuation of a years-long effort to undermine and overthrow the 45th President of the United States. His partisan and spiteful actions are shameful, serving only to separate further our nation and destroy our Constitution, “he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report