McCarthy, who believes impeachment is bad for the country and will create more division, took a behind-the-scenes approach to the attack on the Capitol, speaking privately with Republican Party members and the president.
Cheney, meanwhile, has taken a different path, delivering a public and direct response to Capitol disturbances, which could be a turning point in any future race for speaker or minority leader.
But Cheney made it clear that his decision to support impeachment was not political. And, in fact, it can hurt you if the GOP does not exorcise Trump completely from his party; the president still maintains strong support among conservative bases. She is already facing several calls in the GOP Chamber to step down from her leadership post.
Still, Cheney privately told colleagues that she wanted to be on the right side of the story, according to sources, and framed it as a “vote of conscience”.
On the eve of the impeachment vote in the House, Cheney became the highest-ranking Republican to publicly support Trump’s removal from office for inciting a violent crowd to attack the Capitol. Three other Republicans, deputies Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and John Katko of New York, have also given their weight to impeachment so far. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has also told associates that he believes Trump has committed impeachable crimes, POLITICO confirmed.
In a three-paragraph statement, Cheney did not contain himself: “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
Cheney also attributed responsibility for the attack on the Capitol directly to Trump, saying he “summoned” the crowd and “lit the flame for this attack” – and that without him, the bloody riot would never have happened.
“Everything that followed was his work,” continued Cheney. “The president could have intervened immediately and forcefully to stop the violence. He didn `t do.”
But while Cheney’s impeachment position may deserve applause in some corners of the conference, not everyone was satisfied: House Freedom President Caucus Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), One of the leaders of the president-elect’s challenge to victory Joe Biden, called Cheney to resign his leadership position.
“She shouldn’t be at this conference,” Biggs told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. “That’s it.” Freedom Caucus once cost McCarthy a chance to be the speaker, and hardline conservatives still dominate the Republican Party.
Signs of Cheney’s likely impeachment vote were popping up all over the days before her announcement. Immediately after the siege of the Capitol, she placed the blame on Trump’s shoulders: “There is no doubt that the president formed the mob, the president incited the mob, the president addressed the mob. He lit the flame, ”she said.
Cheney was also arguing with Democrats while they were crouched in a safe room in the middle of the insurrection, according to several lawmakers. And other sources said she had been assessing impeachment for the past few days.
Then, on a Republican Party conference call on Monday, the first meeting in the entire conference since the riots, Cheney did not say how he intended to vote, but asked his colleagues to “vote for their conscience” and she emphasized that this was not a political vote.
It is unclear how many Republicans will follow Cheney’s path, but more are expected to follow suit, in a potential sign of their growing influence in the party. His stance also gives cautious Republicans wide political coverage.
“Good for her for honoring her oath of office,” spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Tuesday.
McCarthy, for his part, struggled with his response to the attack. Although he continues to oppose impeachment, an aide confirmed to POLITICO that McCarthy is open to the less severe option of censorship. The idea gained momentum at the Republican Party conference, but Democrats argue that it will not go far enough to condemn Trump for his role in Wednesday’s deadly events and will not have a vote in plenary.
In another sign that McCarthy is still trying to figure out his next steps, he also asked Republicans whether to ask Trump to step down, according to a member of the Republican Party. This detail was first reported by The New York Times.
Notably, sources say McCarthy has not censored members about how they will vote for impeachment; doing so would backfire, as Republicans struggle to know how to respond to the crisis.
But the California Republican became more critical of Trump, particularly as anger and frustration increased in the ranks of the Republican Party. McCarthy and his main replacement, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Faced reactions from within the conference about how they handled the siege and for continuing to oppose the Biden Electoral College’s victory certification, even after the deadly riots. . Scalise is also opposed to impeachment.
While McCarthy was quick to condemn the violence and begged Trump to make a stronger statement telling protesters to withdraw, the Republican Party leader waited days before blaming Trump on a conference call, saying the president has part of the responsibility for inciting riots that endanger the lives of lawmakers.
McCarthy also told colleagues on Monday night that he asked Trump to congratulate Biden, the first time he encouraged the outgoing president, to extend an olive branch to the new government.
McCarthy had already made the calculated call to go all-in on Trump, with some Republicans saying he considered the 2020 gain in the House seats as a sign that keeping the party attached to Trump was his way of winning the House back in 2022 .
But, as some Republicans have noted, this approach meant that the Republican Party was inextricably linked to Trump – even when he throws the country into chaos.
In addition to McCarthy’s woes, an increasing number of corporate donors and business groups are reducing their political donations to members who voted against certification, putting one of McCarthy’s other strengths – fundraising – at risk.
Cheney, for his part, challenged Trump repeatedly. She separated from other Republican Party leaders who often remained silent on her criticisms and sometimes publicly rejected the president’s behavior.
At one point last year, it appeared that Cheney’s political potential was burned out after a group of House Freedom Caucus members attacked her in July for her criticism of the president, her support for Anthony Fauci and her support for a main opponent who challenged Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Some conservatives even discussed recruiting someone to challenge them for the conference president, but it never worked; Cheney was chosen unanimously to exercise another mandate in the leadership.
McCarthy’s stance also put him in direct conflict with McConnell, his GOP counterpart on the Capitol.
McConnell has privately communicated that he is happy that Democrats are moving forward with plans to remove the unpredictable president from office because the Senate leader believes it will help clean up Trump’s Republican Party.
McCarthy and McConnell also handled electoral objections quite differently. While McConnell was actively urging Republicans in the Senate not to challenge the certification of Biden’s victory in 2020, McCarthy remained largely quiet before joining the majority of House Republicans in objecting to the Electoral College votes. In fact, POLITICO also reported that, even before Wednesday’s vote, McCarthy advised Republican freshmen on what election challenges to support.
In contrast to McConnell, who described his vote to certify as “the most important vote” he has ever cast, McCarthy chose to pursue his objection hours after the violence unfolded around the Capitol complex, which angered many of his Republican colleagues.
When Trump’s second impeachment trial begins, the Senate will have a chance to prevent Trump from taking public office again. Some Republicans may see an opportunity.
“Mitch McConnell was looking at the party for the long haul. AND [he and Cheney] he answered the call, ”said a Republican Party legislator. “And I think a lot of members are concerned that McCarthy and Scalise are not.”