In her concession speech, Republican Liz Cheney told supporters she would continue to work to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. (Via AFP)
Washington, August 18 (RHC)-- U.S. Republican rebel Liz Cheney has vowed to do “whatever it takes” to deny former president Donald Trump second term after losing her seat in Congress to a Trump-backed Republican in Wyoming on Tuesday.
“I have said since January 6th (deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol) that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office, and I mean it,” the congresswoman said.
The die-hard Republican critic of Trump vowed to fight on after conceding defeat in U.S. midterm primary. “Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear, but it would have required that I go along with President Trump's lie about the 2020 election,” she said. “It would have required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our Republic.”
According to an election monitoring firm, Harriet Hageman led the Republican field with 66.3% of the vote, followed by Cheney with 28.9%. The daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney has played a leading role in the congressional probe of the deadly January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump’s supporters.
Cheney broadened her attack on Trump, saying the former U.S. president was spreading an “insidious lie” in alleging that the FBI agents who searched his Florida home were politically motivated. “Trump knows that embracing these conspiracies will trigger violence and threats of violence. This happened on January 6th, and it’s now happening again,” she asserted.
Cheney’s defeat, by a Trump-endorsed Republican, marks a significant victory for the former U.S. president in his campaign to oust Republicans who backed impeaching him after the deadly January assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
Ten Republicans supported Trump’s impeachment in 2021. The former US president, who has hinted that he will run for president in 2024, was ultimately acquitted. U.S. Republican leaders are expected to dissolve the January 6th investigation if they win control of the House in November.
