Former Rep.Liz Cheney (R-WY) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she believed Republicans accept white supremacists and violence because the leadership of former President Donald Trump.
When asked about the House Republican’s speaker search, Cheney said, “It is hard to describe. I wish that it were surprising. You know, what we’ve seen is a result of really the leadership decisions that Kevin McCarthy made back after the 2020 election and certainly after January 6. And, you know, looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the House, including Jim Jordan, elevating those members frankly some of whom are white supremacists, some of whom are anti-semitic, and a number of whom were involved directly in the attempt to seize power and over turn the election. So it is not a surprise when you see that those people have been empowered.”
She continued, “I also have been watching the extent to which political violence and the threats of violence have now reared their head once again. Those have become part of our politics in a way that certainly they never should. I talked to one of my former colleagues who was in the meeting with Jordan and the holdouts a few days ago and when some of the members received threats of violence and raised it and asked Jordan about it, Representative Davidson, also from Ohio, said, essentially, it is not Jim Jordan’s fault, it is your fault because you’re voting against Jim Jordan. Now that kind of acceptance of violence is completely inappropriate and dangerous in our politics.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “It used to be that that kind of what is called sarcastic terrorism, people demonizing enemies an not specifically calling for violence against their enemies, but demonizing them in such a way, like ‘Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?’ and then people will come and threaten them. That was founded upon and discouraged in politics. Do you trace it back to Donald Trump? When did this become a acceptable part of Republican politics?”
Cheney said, “I think you certainly would have to trace it back, in the modern version to Donald Trump.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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