Congressman Matt Rosendale Explains his Vote to Oust Liz Cheney

Montana’s lone Congressman Matt Rosendale spoke to KGVO News on Wednesday morning to explain his vote on ousting Wyoming’s Liz Cheney from being the Republican Conference Chair.

“It was a voice vote,” said Rosendale. “We did not take a recorded vote this time, but I've been clearly on the record. We started this process back in February. Unfortunately, it takes longer to accomplish anything in Washington than then I would like to say, but we started the process in February and we brought attention to the fact that Liz Cheney was not representing the conference.”

Cheney has been very vocal about her opposition to former President Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and it was that stand that cost her the conference chair.

“What she needed to do as a representative from Wyoming was she needed to separate out and she did not heed the warning,” he said. “She continued to have this personality clash with President Trump. She was destroying the Republican message, and instead of us talking about our message of growing our economy, securing our border and getting our kids back to school, she was embroiled in this battle with the former President.”

Rosendale said the schism in the Republican Party was allowing Democrats to have their way with national policies.

“Meanwhile, the Biden administration is pushing their agenda, which has resulted in an open border dangerously more aggressive China and an end to our energy dominance,” he said. “Meanwhile, the Biden administration is pushing their agenda, which has resulted in an open border, a dangerously more aggressive China and an end to our energy dominance. As the conference chair, she's supposed to help us form and deliver that message. She failed. She's failed miserably.”

Rosendale described what happened after the vote to oust Representative Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

“Finally, they brought her back to the conference and there was very little drama,” he said. “I will tell you that she made a statement. She's still defiant. The motion was made by Virginia Foxx from North Carolina, and a voice vote was taken to remove her. It was overwhelmingly in favor of removing her. After that the meeting was adjourned. Now hopefully, we can take a little bit of time and nominate and vet and elect a new conference chair that will help us develop and deliver that message so that we can move forward.”

Cheney said after the vote, ‘We have to move forward. We cannot both embrace the big lie and embrace the Constitution.’