Cheney: 'We've seen anti-Semitism, white supremacy, Holocaust denial' in both parties

By Dominick Mastrangelo - 02/18/21 10:50 AM EST
 

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyThe GOP's post-1/6 playbook is clear — and it's dangerous Trump allies leaning on his executive privilege claims Two Fox News contributors quit over Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 documentary MORE (Wyo.) said this week that white supremacist ideology has penetrated both of America's political parties. 

“We’ve seen anti-Semitism, white supremacy, Holocaust denial, by people both on the right in the Republican Party and by people on the left in the Democratic Party,” Cheney said Wednesday during a meeting with the Cheyenne Rotary Club, according to The Casper Star-Tribune. “They can have no place in our in our public discourse. We have to be very clear that we stand for freedom and justice and equality and that we’re going to fight for those things.”

Cheney did not specify to whom in each party she was referring but has made similar comments on a number occasions over the past several months, particularly in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, including adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory. 

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"We are not the party of QAnon or anti-Semitism or Holocaust-deniers, or white supremacy or conspiracy theories," she said in early February. "That’s not who we are. We believe in conservative principles and conservative values and we believe in the Constitution."

During impeachment proceedings last month, several House Democrats said the Jan. 6 incident was an act carried out by white supremacists emboldened by a president who has welcomed the ideology. 

First-term Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) called former President TrumpDonald TrumpStowaway found in landing gear of plane after flight from Guatemala to Miami Kushner looking to Middle East for investors in new firm: report GOP eyes booting Democrats from seats if House flips MORE the "white supremacist in chief" during her floor remarks. 

Cheney was one of only 10 House Republicans who joined every Democrat in voting to impeach Trump over his role in inciting the Capitol riot in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Senate acquitted Trump on Saturday, though seven Republicans voted to convict.

“I’ve had the opportunity in my career to spend time working all over the world and in countries where they don’t have a peaceful transfer of power, working in countries where violence decides the outcome of elections," Cheney told the rotary club Wednesday. "And what happened on Jan. 6 came very close to that.”
 
The Wyoming Republican Party and other county-level Republican organizations have censured Cheney following her vote to impeach Trump. Several other GOP lawmakers in both chambers who sided against the former president have faced similar responses.
 
Cheney, The highest-ranking Republican woman in the House, also faces a 2022 primary challenger in the wake of her impeachment vote. On Feb. 3, she beat back an effort from Trump's allies in the GOP conference to oust her from her leadership seat.

“I think at the end of the day, the most important thing is honesty,” Cheney said this week. “I owe all of you honesty about why I voted the way that I did, how I see it, and the information that I had. That is continuing to come out. And I look forward to continuing to have those conversations.”

On Monday, Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiFive reasons for Biden, GOP to be thankful this season Bipartisan success in the Senate signals room for more compromise The GOP's post-1/6 playbook is clear — and it's dangerous MORE (D-Calif.) announced plans for a 9/11-style commission to examine a breakdown in security measures that lawmakers say allowed Trump supporters to breach the Capitol complex, sending lawmakers into hiding and delaying the certification of President BidenJoe BidenGOP eyes booting Democrats from seats if House flips Five House members meet with Taiwanese president despite Chinese objections Sunday shows preview: New COVID-19 variant emerges; supply chain issues and inflation persist MORE's Electoral College victory. 
 
Cheney grabbed headlines in the immediate aftermath of the chaos on Jan. 6 when she placed blame for the incident directly at Trump's feet, saying he "lit the flame" of insurrection. 
 
“What he has done and what he has caused here is something that we’ve never seen before in our history,” she said. “It’s been 245 years, and no president has ever failed to concede or agree to leave office after the Electoral College has voted, and I think what we are seeing today is the result of that, the result of convincing people that somehow Congress was going to overturn the results of this election, the results of suggesting that he wouldn’t leave office.”
 
—Updated at 11:24 a.m.

Tags Nancy Pelosi Donald Trump Liz Cheney Joe Biden Impeachment Trump impeachment Capitol breach Capitol Riots Jan. 6 protests White supremacy White supremacism white nationalism QAnon