By the Associated Press
House Republicans have ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from her post as the chamber’s No. 3 GOP leader, punishing her after she repeatedly rebuked former President Donald Trump for his claims of election fraud and his role in fomenting the January 6 Capitol attack.
Meeting behind closed doors for less than 20 minutes Wednesday, GOP lawmakers used a voice vote to remove Cheney, R-Wyoming, from the party’s No. 3 House position. She has been Congress’ highest-ranking Republican woman and is a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Cheney’s replacement was widely expected to be Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who entered the House in 2015 at age 30, then the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Stefanik owns a more moderate voting record than Cheney but has evolved into a vigorous Trump defender who’s echoed some of his unfounded claims about widespread election cheating.
It was initially unclear when the separate vote on Cheney’s replacement would occur.
