Yahoo Finance Senior Republican ‘privately complaining’ about the ‘coronation’ of Elise Stefanik ahead of Liz Cheney purge, CNN host says
Rep. Elise Stefanik, a notable fan of the former President Donald Trump, is not the shoo-in to fill Rep. Liz Cheney’s position as the chair of the Republican Convention, according to multiple media reports
(AP)Republicans are not united in their support for Rep Elise Stefanik taking over from Liz Cheney’s leadership role, according to a CNN anchor.
Jake Tapper, host of The Lead With Jake Tapper and State of The Union, tweeted on Friday that he was hearing rumours about senior figures within the GOP unhappy with the assumption that Ms Stefanik, a congresswoman representing New York state, was being touted as the next conference chair.
Mr Tapper wrote on Twitter, “Rep Mike Johnson - the House GOP conference vice chair - “privately complaining to his colleagues about what he has called the ‘coronation’” of NY Rep Elise Stefanik as GOP Conference chair as they all oust Rep Liz Cheney.”
This update on the internal party dispute follows multiple sources, such as Punchbowl and Politico’s Playbook newsletter, reporting that not everyone was content with the presumed choice to replace Liz Cheney.
Mr Johnson currently serves Louisana’s 4th Congressional District. He was elected to his current position of vice chairman in November 2020. At the time, he released a statement: “It has been troubling to see how far left Congressional Democrats have gone, and that is why we must be bold to advance our core conservative principles and policies,” he wrote. “As vice chairman of the Republican Conference, I will work tirelessly alongside my colleagues to fight for these policies and ensure we uphold the values and freedoms the American people hold dear.”
Am hearing same as was reported in @PunchbowlNews: Rep. Mike Johnson - the House GOP conference vice chair -- “privately complaining to his colleagues about what he has called the ‘coronation’” of NY Rep. Elise Stefanik as GOP Conference chair as they all oust Rep Liz Cheney
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 7, 2021
Elise Stefanik is an up-and-coming figure in the Republican party despite being elected nearly seven years ago. When she flipped the Democrat seat in upstate New York in 2014 at age 30, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the House, a record since beaten by Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez.
As Ms Cheney is expected to be ousted from her duties within the party’s leadership, some people within the GOP are pushing for Ms Stefanik to take on her role. It is believed that Ms Cheney is perceived as too anti-Trump therefore she now faces a battle against the faction of the party that subscribes to the unverified belief that the election was stolen after widespread election fraud.
Ms Stefanik aligns herself with this, as yesterday, she appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast and discussed her support for the vote “audit” happening in Arizona’s Maricopa County.
“We want transparency and answers for the American people - what are Democrats so afraid of?” she said.
This is not the first time that she has pushed these unproven theories. Previous to this, she backed a lawsuit that attempted to get the Supreme Court to quash President Joe Biden’s victory and voted to block some Democrat electoral college votes, despite the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January.
Mr Trump publically endorsed Ms Stefanik on his new blog.
“We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritise the values of America First. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she had my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for GOP Conference Chair,” Mr Trump said. “Elise is a tough and smart communicator!”
She, like Trump, has had problems after being suspended from Twitter. The microblogging site say her recent suspension was an accident however, she is unconvinced with this explanation. She spoke to Bannon about this on the podcast.
“They said it was a mistake, but again, it only happens to conservatives.” she said, using it to state her case that social media companies needed to have their sometime immunity revoked that was granted to them under Section 230.
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