Politics

REPORT: Liz Cheney ‘Secretly Orchestrated’ Former Defense Secretaries To Write Op-Ed Slamming Trump

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Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
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Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney “secretly orchestrated” an op-ed in the Washington Post from all living former secretaries of defense slamming former President Trump’s handling of the military in January, according to the New Yorker.

Eric Edelman, a friend of Cheney’s, reportedly told the New Yorker that Cheney had personally met with all 10 living former defense secretaries, including Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, urging them to participate in the op-ed. The report comes as Cheney is facing an onslaught of criticism from pro-Trump factions in the Republican Party who want to see her removed from the GOP leadership in the House of Representatives. (RELATED: Lambasted For Lack Of Loyalty, Rep. Cheney Voted With Trump More Often Than Rival Rep. Stefanik)

“She was the one who generated it, because she was so worried about what Trump might do,” Edelman told the magazine. “It speaks to the degree that she was concerned about the threat to our democracy that Trump represented.”

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 17: (L-R) Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) talks to reporters with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) following House Republican conference leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on November 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. While Cheney, Scalise and McCarthy remain at the top of conference leadership, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to serve as vice-chair of the conference; Richard Hudson (R-NC) as conference secretary; and Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) as policy chair. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 17: (L-R) Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) talks to reporters with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) following House Republican conference leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on November 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. While Cheney, Scalise and McCarthy remain at the top of conference leadership, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to serve as vice-chair of the conference; Richard Hudson (R-NC) as conference secretary; and Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) as policy chair. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Cheney has become one of Trump’s most vocal critics within the GOP since he left office, arguing repeatedly that he has no place in the future of the party.

Trump has lashed out at Cheney and many other Republicans he views as rivals since departing from the White House, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Cheney survived by a wide margin an attempt to oust her from leadership in February. That time, however, she went into the vote with endorsements from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise.

Now, both of them, as well as Trump, have endorsed Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to replace Cheney.