Mitch McConnell Punts When Asked About Liz Cheney's Future as GOP Leader

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pivoted Wednesday when asked about Representative Liz Cheney's woes with Republican leadership.

"We're confronted with severe challenges from a new administration, and a narrow majority of Democrats in the House and a 50–50 Senate, to turn American into a socialist country and that's 100 percent of my focus," McConnell told reporters in Kentucky.

Cheney, an ally of McConnell, has earned the ire of some of her GOP colleagues for rebuking former President Donald Trump's claim that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with widespread fraud.

The Wyoming congresswoman tweeted Monday that anyone who claims the election was "stolen" is "spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system."

Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, was also one of 10 GOP lawmakers to vote to impeach Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection after the Capitol attack on January 6. She faced criticism at the time, but in February her colleagues voted by a large margin for Cheney to stay on as the House Republican Conference chair.

Now, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has signaled frustration with Cheney and is openly questioning whether she can remain in her leadership role.

"I have heard from members concerned about her ability to carry out the job as conference chair, to carry out the message," McCarthy told Fox & Friends recently. "We all need to be working as one if we're able to win the majority. Remember, majorities are not given, they are earned. And that's about the message about going forward."

In response, Cheney's communications director sent out a statement that the congresswoman wouldn't be deterred from speaking out against the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

"This is about whether the Republican Party is going to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and attempt to whitewash what happened on Jan 6. Liz will not do that. That is the issue," said Jeremy Adler, her spokesman.

Trump has also weighed in on the matter multiple times, predicting that Cheney will never win another election in Wyoming and endorsing another congresswoman to take her place as GOP chair.

"Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership. We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First," Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. "Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!"

Newsweek has reached out to Cheney's office for comment on McConnell's deflection.