Liz Cheney spent at least $58,000 on bodyguards after Jan. 6, wants to teach GOP basic civics


Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has no regrets about opposing former President Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election, even though it cost her her position in House Republican leadership and earned her death threats, she tells The New York Times. And to defuse those lies, she's banking on giving a crash course in basic civics to GOP voters misled by Trump and perhaps even newly elected members of her caucus.
"We've got people we've entrusted with the perpetuation of the Republic who don't know what the rule of law is," Cheney said. "We probably need to do Constitution boot camps for newly sworn-in members of Congress. Clearly." She added that she's "not naive about the education that has to go on here," but "this is something that determines the nature of this Republic going forward," and she's in the fight for as long as it takes.
There has been a cost to Cheney's crusade. She spent most of her recent congressional break in Wyoming but made very few public appearances, having "received a stream of death threats, common menaces" among high-profile Trump critics, the Times reports. Cheney "is now surrounded by a newly deployed detail of plainclothes, ear-pieced agents," and "her campaign spent $58,000 on security from January to March, including three former Secret Service officers." The U.S. Capitol Police recently assigned Cheney a protective detail, the Times reports, "an unusual measure for a House member not in a leadership position."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Republican apostate is an odd position for a Cheney to find herself in, given former Vice President Dick Cheney's long and influential career in national GOP politics.
Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney's "political alter ego," the Times says, called his daughter on Jan. 6, as she was preparing to take the House floor to support certifying President Biden's election win and Trump's loss. Dick Cheney had just heard Trump vow to get rid of "the Liz Cheneys of the world," and he was worried for her safety, the Times reports. Cheney said she told her father she "absolutely" wanted to go ahead with her speech, because "this is about being able to tell your kids that you stood up and did the right thing," but she never got the chance because minutes later, Trump's supporters breached the Capitol. Read more about the Cheneys and their new role in national politics at The New York Times.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Test driving the Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge
The Week Recommends We take the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever built for a spin in Barcelona
By Fergus Scholes Published
-
Tuberculosis is seeing a resurgence, and it's only going to get worse
Under the radar The spread of the deadly infection is buoyed by global unrest
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: April 03, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sen. Booker's 25-hour speech beats Thurmond
Speed Read He spoke for the longest time in recorded Senate history, protesting the Trump administration's policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bondi seeks death penalty for Luigi Mangione
Speed Read Mangione was charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Democrats win costly Wisconsin court seat
Speed Read Democrats prevailed in an election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court despite Elon Musk's robust financial support of the Republican candidate
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
Speed Read The White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bid to control where journalists sit during press briefings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published