Why Does Liz Cheney Still Insist on Trying to Tell House Republicans How to Run Things?

Rebecca Downs reporting for Townhall 

We'll never get tired of reminding that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her primary in August of 2022 to now Rep. Harriet Hageman by close to 40 points. Long before then, though, she was ousted as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference back in May 2021 and replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who still holds such a position today. Close to three years later now, though, Cheney is still behaving as she has any clout, especially as the Sunday shows keep inviting her on, just like CNN's "State of the Union" did for this week's episode.

Right from the start of the interview with Jake Tapper, Cheney insisted without a doubt that Russia's Vladimir Putin was responsible for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. From there, she connected standing up to Putin with the sense of urgency in passing a foreign aid bill benefitting Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. 

"The best thing that we can do right now is to pass the aid bill that the Ukrainians need so urgently to help them continue what they're doing to defeat Putin's army in Ukraine. And one thing that's really important, Jake, for the viewers to recognize and understand is, one man, one man has the power in his hands to get that done," she insisted, going on to name Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and adding he should do so "now."

Cheney went on to claim that "Mike Johnson could, if he wanted to, today announce that he's going to call the House of Representatives back into session. He could put the bill that's already passed the Senate onto the floor of the House for a vote tomorrow. It could be on Joe Biden's desk by tomorrow night, and the aid could be flowing to Ukraine. And Mike Johnson ought to search deep in his conscience, understanding exactly what's happening, the slaughter that's happening in Ukraine today, the extent to which the Ukrainians are on the front lines in this battle for freedom."

Becoming even more dramatic, Cheney offered that "history will look back at this moment and ask, what did Mike Johnson do?" She also brought up how Johnson has said he believes he's called to be Moses as well, adding "I think Mike Johnson ought to look at whether or not this is actually that moment, and he ought to help the Ukrainian people."

Johnson faces a glaring problem when it comes to such a bill, though, as Tapper reminded that conservative Republicans have also threatened to file a motion to vacate the chair if Johnson brings up such a bill.

It wasn't too long ago that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), whom Cheney has criticized at length for years, was ousted last October after eight Republicans joined with all House Democrats to vote in favor of Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) motion to vacate the chair. Gaetz had filed such a motion after McCarthy brought to the floor a clean spending bill that passed, thus averting a government shutdown at the last minute. 

Despite such a threat against Johnson, though, Cheney didn't seem too fazed. "What I would say to that is he ought to understand that it is worth it if he has to lose his speakership in order to make sure that freedom survives, in order to make sure that the United States of America continues to play its leadership role in the world," she said in response to Tapper reminding her of that threat against Johnson. "He ought to read what's happening in Ukraine today. He ought to read about the slaughter that's going on. And he ought to understand that we are at a turning point in the history, not just of this nation, but of the world."

Cheney went once again for a flair of the dramatic, by claiming Johnson's "going to have to explain to future generations, to his kids, to his grandkids whether or not he did what was right, whether or not he was a force for good and aided the cause of freedom, or whether he continued down this path of cowardice and doing what Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin want him to do."

Beyond wanting to hold onto the gavel, there are plenty of reasons for Johnson, and others, to oppose the foreign aid bill. Not only has Johnson insisted it's still important to prioritize securing the southern border, but the bill has a price tag of $95 trillion. Further, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who has been particularly vocal in opposing the bill, highlighted a hidden provision that could lead to impeaching potentially future President Donald Trump yet again should he take issue with funding for Ukraine. 

Nevertheless, when Tapper and Cheney discussed the foreign aid bill as it currently exists, without the disastrous border bill provisions, these valid criticisms didn't come up. Cheney also claimed "what the Republicans are doing now is really shameful." While she did point out that "the Biden administration absolutely bears responsibility for failing to secure the border," adding "that's been going on now for a number of years, and it's inexplicable and it's wrong," she still blamed Republicans for "walking away from" a bad bill. 

We may still hear even more from Cheney, though. Despite how far into 2024 we already are, the former congresswoman has yet to rule out a run for president. 

"I haven't made any decisions about it yet. I'm going to do whatever is necessary to defeat Donald Trump," she responded when Tapper asked if she'd consider running herself or has ruled it out. She did note, though, that "the most important thing is to defeat Donald Trump, and I will do whatever, whatever it takes to do that," as if we'd ever expect her to say anything else at this point.