Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney was in Missoula last week for a talk hosted by the Mansfield Center. The discussion ranged from her memory of being at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, her thoughts on supporters of Donald Trump and her lack of surprise at the removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.
Cheney sat on stage at the Dennison Theater on Thursday night with former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot to talk about American democracy. Both Racicot and Cheney have faced backlash from the GOP for their criticism of the party in recent years.
Racicot asked Cheney, who served as Wyoming’s at-large representative from 2017-2023, to recount her experiences being in the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection. She expressed anger at Republicans supporting Trump's actions and demands.
“On the House side, Kevin McCarthy was telling people, object, you know, it'll keep Trump happy and what's the big deal? Well, of course, it was all part of the process that resulted in the violence that day,” Cheney said.
Cheney was vice chair of the committee that investigated the events of January 6, which voted unanimously to refer former President Donald Trump for criminal prosecution for his part in encouraging the insurrection.
Cheney shared to the 1,100 person audience that she believes many Republicans experience a cognitive dissonance by doing what Trump wants, despite not believing in it.
“People ask me how many Republican House members do you think really believe that the election was stolen? And it's not double digits. I mean there may be two,” Cheney said.
She speculated who.
“One of them might be one of your representatives here in Montana,” Cheney said.
Of Montana’s congressional delegation, Rep. Matt Rosendale has been the most outspoken on questioning election integrity.
Cheney also criticized Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s leadership as speaker of the House and said she was not surprised to see him ousted from the role.
“Kevin McCarthy made a fundamentally corrupt bargain to be speaker of the House. And he made a corrupt bargain that began when we were still in the minority after January 6th to tolerate and to appease and to usher Donald Trump back into office,” Cheney said.
She expressed concern over Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan being the frontrunner to replace McCarthy, referencing his role in supporting the January 6 insurrection.
“The notion that the Republican Party is anywhere close to contemplating putting Jim Jordan into the position of speaker of the House is something that tells you the level of risk we face in our democracy today,” Cheney said.
The night ended with questions from the audience, including one asking where the country goes from here.
Cheney responded that everyone should hold elected officials accountable at all levels of government and Republicans should be held accountable for supporting Trump.
“Hold every single Republican, elected Republican, accountable for what he's saying,” Cheney said.
She also urged the crowd to take the former president and his supporters seriously.
“We're far beyond the moment where people can say, well, he doesn't really mean it. He means it. He showed us he means it,” Cheney said.
After losing her reelection campaign to Trump-backed newcomer Harriet Hageman, it’s unclear what Cheney’s future in politics looks like. And she didn’t offer any specifics despite questions from Racicot.
“So we can expect to see some of you in the coming months as we proceed toward November of 2024,” Racicot said.
“I think you will see me, yes,” Cheney said.
“I never got to ask this question, but does that mean we'll see you after 2024?” Racicot said.
“I hope so,” Cheney said.
