County Republicans censure Cheney
County Republicans censure Cheney
71 people sign letter to Cheney
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
Weston County Republicans joined a majority of Wyoming’s counties on Wednesday, Feb. 3, when they voted to censure Rep. Liz Cheney. In addition to the official censure resolution, 71 individuals signed a letter that was faxed and mailed to Cheney stating their dissatisfaction with her representation.
“The Weston County Republican Party can think of no greater affront to the voters of Weston County, Wyoming than your decision to vote for the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump,” the letter begins. “You have violated the trust of the citizens of Weston County who sent you to Washington to represent our interests. We, the citizens of Weston County, expect our representatives to represent us, not act on emotion or self-serving reasoning.”
Cheney has attracted criticism from Republicans across the state for her vote on Jan. 13, along with nine other U.S. House Republicans, to impeach Trump following the so-called insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. In an announcement, Cheney said, “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
Since then, Cheney has openly stated that she will not apologize for her vote. She also was not removed from her leadership position in the House after a secret vote earlier this week.
Among the more than 70 Weston County residents attending the Feb. 3 meeting were all 23 precinct members. Twenty-two precinct members voted for censure; one abstained .
The letter to Cheney also stated that its authors feel Cheney’s actions weakened the Republican party and had become a useful talking point for Democrats.
“Attempting to blame the entirety of this political upheaval on one man is an insult to us all and is far more likely to increase the prospect of continued confrontations moving forward,” the letter states.
Local Republicans also said that they believed Cheney is not hearing their concerns and has continually failed to respond to Weston County Republicans who have “tried repeatedly to contact you.”
The letter also claims that Cheney failed to acknowledge Weston County Republicans’ belief that a “massive amount of voter fraud is being perpetrated, yet dismissed without proper investigation, and failing to work to restore public confidence by advocating for an honest Congressional investigation that answers accusations with facts, backed up by evidence, in the light of the public eye.”
The letter also states that accountability is required at all levels.
“First, we respectfully request that you resign your position as Representative for the great state of Wyoming as you no longer represent the interests of the majority of Weston County voters,” the letter says. “Second, we the Weston County Republican Party Central Committee, unanimously vote to censure you for failing to represent the Republican voter of Weston County.”
Included in the official censure resolution is a request that Cheney appear before the Weston County Republican Central Committee to explain her actions to Weston County and state Republicans and to the state’s electorate.