Kevin McCarthy tells House Republicans to 'anticipate' a vote on Cheney Wednesday
In a letter sent to his Republican colleagues on Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that after having conversations with "so many of you in recent days," it's clear there needs to be a "change" in GOP leadership, and "as such, you should anticipate a vote on recalling the conference chair this Wednesday."
The position is now held by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), but over the last few weeks, there has been an internal push to vote her out and replace her with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). Stefanik's voting record is more moderate than Cheney's, but she is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, while Cheney is not.
It's Cheney's criticism of Trump, his false claims of election fraud, and his incitement of a mob ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that has led many Republicans to want her removed from the conference chair role, making it ironic that McCarthy wrote in his letter that the GOP is a "big tent party," and "unlike the left, we embrace free thought and debate."
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McCarthy, who confirmed during an interview with Fox News on Sunday that he supports Stefanik as the new conference chair, said he wants Republicans to gain control of the House in 2022, and "if we are to succeed in stopping the radical Democrat agenda from destroying our country, these internal conflicts need to be resolved so as to not detract from the efforts of our collective team."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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