Kevin McCarthy sounds increasingly likely to punish Liz Cheney

On Monday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) kept up her fight against former President Donald Trump's false election claims, which apparently didn't help her case to remain in her House leadership position.

A day later, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — in what CNN's Manu Raju described as the "biggest signal yet" Cheney could soon be ousted as GOP conference chair — said he has heard from House GOP lawmakers who are "concerned about [Cheney's] ability to carry out the job ... to carry out the message."

McCarthy claims Cheney being on the hot seat has nothing to do with her vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot this year. Instead, he suggested it was about the need for unity within the party. "We need to be working as one, if we're able to win the majority," McCarthy said.

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Regardless of the reasons, it's becoming increasingly clear Cheney's leadership position is in greater jeopardy now than when she easily survived a vote to remove her from the chair role in February.