Liz Cheney Ouster Vote Lamented by Democrats as Donald Trump Allies Rejoice

Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) being ousted from her position as House Republican Conference chair, a move allies of former President Donald Trump have celebrated as a victory for their faction.

Several House Democrats took issue with Cheney's ouster following criticisms of Trump.

The White House also said it was "disturbing" to see a leadership figure in any party facing attack from their own benches for "speaking the truth."

"Today is a sad day, and a measure of how lost the Republican Party is that they can't even stand Liz Cheney's presence," Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) tweeted. "They can't abide one minute longer the fact that she won't lie about what happened in the election. That's just sad. I applaud her courage."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement that Cheney was a "leader of great courage, patriotism and integrity," and argued that the GOP signaled they weren't interested in those values by ousting her from the leadership.

"The Republican denial of the truth presented by Congresswoman Cheney is reflected in their denial of the need to seek the truth in a January 6th commission and to repair the damage of January 6th with a security supplemental immediately," she added.

"For the sake of our democracy, reasonable Republicans across the country must take back their party."

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the House Intelligence Committee chairman, tweeted: "Romney voted his conscience and was booed. Cheney refused to echo Trump's Big Lie and was ousted. Soon there will be no one left in Trump's GOP to speak the truth."

The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said it was "disturbing to see any leader, regardless of party, being attacked for simply speaking the truth," and repeated President Joe Biden's view that the ouster was "hard to understand."

As Democrats lamented Cheney's exit from the GOP leadership, Trump's allies celebrated their victory in the internal party struggle. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) mimicked a football chant to mock the Wyoming Republican, and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called her the "masthead of the Establishment."

"The GOP is moving forward with an America First agenda," Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) tweeted. "Liz Cheney continually put personal vendettas over the American people and was no longer in step with GOP leadership. I'm glad my colleagues agreed."

Trump himself welcomed the move in a statement released on Wednesday.

In a statement to Newsweek, RNC spokeswoman Emma Vaughn said: "Democrats will talk about anything else in order to avoid addressing the compounding failures of the Biden administration. We have an economic crisis, a border crisis, a crisis at the gas pump, and now a crisis abroad that are a direct result of Biden and Democrats' failed policies.

"Americans outside the beltway are more concerned about where they're going to get their next tank of gas and when their kids can go back to school." She added that the RNC was "completely focused" on stopping Biden by winning back the House in the 2022 midterms.

Rep. Cheney's office has also been contacted for comment.