House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik called Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney a “Pelosi pawn” who “doesn’t represent” the GOP conference in a Tuesday interview with host Sean Hannity.
Cheney criticized Stefanik for claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is responsible for the lack of security presence during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in a Tuesday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. In response, Stefanik called the Wyoming Republican a “Pelosi Republican” and “pawn,” who does not represent the conference.
“She [Cheney] is a Pelosi Republican, a Pelosi pawn at this point,” Stefanik told Hannity. “She does not represent the Republican conference, or Republican voters, or the American people. Republicans are focused on the facts, we are not focused on protecting the Speaker of the House, who is a lame-duck Speaker.”
“We want truth, accountability, and we want to make sure that the U.S. Capitol is secure as the People’s House and that the violence of January 6 never happens again,” she continued, adding that Pelosi must answer for why “the Capitol wasn’t secure” on the day of the attack. (RELATED: ‘This Is How I’m gonna Die’: Police Officers Share Stories Of Violence And Destruction During Capitol Riot)
Stefanik calls Cheney a “Pelosi pawn” pic.twitter.com/Zse7RTxw5C
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 28, 2021
Cheney claimed earlier Tuesday that former President Donald Trump “lit the flame” of the Capitol riot and that it is “shameful” to deny Trump’s alleged responsibility, CNN reported. “[Trump] lit the flame for what happened,” she claimed. “We’ve seen that not just in the speech on the Elipse, but throughout. But for anybody to be suggesting that somehow he wasn’t responsible, I think it’s shameful.”
Cheney’s comments followed the Jan. 6 commission’s opening statements, where the former conference chairwoman gave a speech.
“Every American, I hope, will be able to hear your testimony today and will watch the videos,” Cheney said during the hearing. “The videos show the unbelievable violence and the inexcusable and intolerable cruelty that you all faced, and people need to know the truth.”
Stefanik replaced Cheney, who supported Trump’s second impeachment, after House Republicans ousted her from the third-ranking role in the conference.