Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) has apparently picked the hill she wants her political career to die by defending the House Select Committee on Jan. 6. Cheney solidified that by taking to Twitter on Monday to harangue Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for criticizing the Committee.
Cheney’s rather snarky tweet stated, “Hey @SenTomCotton – heard you on @hughhewitt criticizing the Jan 6 hearings. Then you said the strangest thing; you admitted you hadn’t watched any of them. Here’s a tip: actually watching them before rendering judgment is more consistent with ‘Anglo-American jurisprudence.'”
Hey @SenTomCotton – heard you on @hughhewitt criticizing the Jan 6 hearings.
Then you said the strangest thing; you admitted you hadn’t watched any of them.
Here’s a tip: actually watching them before rendering judgment is more consistent with “Anglo-American jurisprudence.”
— Rep. Liz Cheney (@RepLizCheney) July 25, 2022
Cotton’s Criticism Of Cheney’s Beloved Jan. 6 Committee
On Monday morning, Cotton was interviewed by conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt. Cotton pointed out some glaring facts about the Committee. The most obvious being that witnesses are not being cross-examined, therefore only one version of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021 is being presented.
Cotton stated, “I think what you’ve seen over the last few week is why Anglo-American jurisprudence going back centuries has found that adversarial inquiry, cross-examination is the best way to get at the truth. He added, “There is no one on that committee who takes a view different from Nancy Pelosi, or even a view that’s like, we should examine the full context of all of these statements, of all of these recordings, of all of this video.”
Cotton confessed he had not watched any of the hearings saying, “I did not watch that hearing, and I have not watched any of the hearings, so I’ve not seen any of them out of the context that I see a snippet here or there on the news.” This was clearly what irritated Cheney.
Cotton did not back away from his assessment of what is going on, or not going on during the hearing process. He stated, “They’ve never released the full transcripts. They’ve never released the full videos. We have no idea what those witnesses said in the full context of their depositions. And even if we had those, there was no lawyer in the room who was probing in the other direction.”
RELATED: Liz Cheney Says She’ll Make a Decision on Running For President in 2024 ‘Down the Road’
Trouble Ahead In The Midterm
Back in May, Cheney to made a trip home to Wyoming to file for reelection. She was also able to get a feel for just exactly where Wyoming voters’ heads are. They let her know in no uncertain terms.
Cheney trails her primary opponent, attorney Harriet Hageman by a resounding 30 points. Hageman has also been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Not only has her electability taken a hit, but Cheney’s likability has plummeted among Wyoming conservative voters.
A polling group called Cygnal asked Wyoming voters their opinion of Cheney. It wasn’t pretty. Overall, 62% of primary voters had an unfavorable view of Cheney. Among Republicans, 76% said they had an unfavorable opinion, 21% favorable.
Those who called themselves “very conservative,” are not fans of Liz Cheney. Among those voters, 84% had an unfavorable opinion, just 14% had a favorable opinion. Good news for Cheney though, among Democrats and Independents, she had a 47% favorable rating and just 51% unfavorable.
Bottom line for Cheney, in a state that went 70% for Donald Trump in 2020 will now have to rely on Democrats and a smattering of Independents for reelection.
Here’s the Hageman camp response to Cheney getting in, with a poll from @brockmccleary pic.twitter.com/dG1s1UoUCT
— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) May 26, 2022
If Reelection Falls Through…
No worries though. Liz Cheney has options. If the good people of Wyoming tell her to take a hike, she may just consider her own run for the White House. A comical discussion took place between Cheney and CNN host Jake Tapper recently.
Tapper asked Cheney if she would be, “willing to run for President to try and stop” the “evil” Donald Trump. Apparently, Cheney has not seen the bat signal in the sky urging her to run just yet. Cheney, who lost her position as GOP Conference Chair last year because of her fanatical pursuit of Trump said to Tapper, “At this point, I have not made a decision about 2024,” Cheney replied. “I’ll make a decision on 2024 down the road.”
The plan for Cheney must be, after Wyoming voters give her the boot, she will have plenty of time to plan her presidential run and her triumphant return to Washington.
What do you think about Cheney’s uncertain political future? Has she burned bridges with conservatives for good?