OnPolitics: Meet Liz Cheney’s possible replacement

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Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., arrives to the chamber ahead of President Joe Biden speaking to a joint session of Congress on April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Photo: Melina Mara, AP)

Another day, another drip in the Liz Cheney drama. 

“The Republican Party is at a turning point, and Republicans must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution,” the No. 3 House Republican wrote a scathing editorial published in the Washington Post. 

House Republicans already have a possible replacement for Cheney should she be ousted from her leadership role. 

It’s Mabinty, with more on the GOP’s infighting. 

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So about that editorial … 

Cheney called on members of her party to choose allegiance to the Constitution over the “cult of personality” of former President Donald Trump. She also called out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for changing his stance on Trump, saying he “left no doubt” about Trump’s guilt in his public remarks days after Jan. 6.

“On the floor of the House on Jan. 13, McCarthy said: ‘The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.’ Now, McCarthy has changed his story,” she wrote.

(McCarthy previously defended the Wyoming congresswoman but now says the conference is losing confidence in her.)

Cheney’s recent actions put her at risk as prominent Republicans line up against her. Enter Rep. Elise Stefanik. The person rising as a potential replacement for the Wyoming Republican is Stefanik, a New York Republican who emerged as a loyal and vocal defender of the 45th president in the last years of the Trump administration. 

She’s also got the backing of the second most powerful House Republican, Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise and Trump. If Stefanik is successful in replacing Cheney, she would be the first millennial and one of the few women to hold the position.

  • Don’t know much about Cheney? Here’s what to know about her.

Costly travel ✈️

Former Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite traversed the globe in his brief tenure under the Trump administration, spending about $2.4 million in air travel, according to figures and documents obtained by USA TODAY.

Braithwaite was Navy secretary, the service’s most senior civilian, from May 29 until Biden took office on Jan. 21. Braithwaite embarked on 22 trips to foreign and domestic destinations during that time – more than any other senior Pentagon civilian – even as the COVID-19 pandemic trimmed the wings of other senior officials, according to two Defense Department officials.

In a statement, Braithwaite said his trips were necessary to bolster the Navy, citing recent crises it had endured, including, presumably the troubles surrounding the Roosevelt. (The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt suffered a COVID-19 outbreak that made national headlines in 2020.) 

“I am extremely proud of the record of accomplishments of Our Sailors and Marines during my tenure as Secretary, especially following such a tumultuous chapter in the Navy’s recent history of crisis following crisis as compared to our other services,” Braithwaite wrote in an email. “I submit it’s impossible to lead men and women deployed around the world from behind a desk in Washington.” 

More in Washington: 

  • Mike Pence looks at the 2024 presidential racebut sees Donald Trump everywhere
  • Justice Department asks Arizona Senate to respondto concerns about election audit
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs controversial election lawwith an eye on 2022 election
  • Joe Biden looks to sell child care, education plan with state-specific pitches

Happy National Nurses Day. Thank you for all that you do! —Mabinty 

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