Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) took issue with former President Donald Trump’s statements about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell having a “death wish,” describing Trump’s comments toward McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, as an “absolutely despicable, racist attack.”
Cheney made the remarks on Monday (October 3) at an event at Syracuse University, warning that Trump’s remarks could prompt further violence.
Cheney, the Vice Chairwoman of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, pointed to the silence from other Republicans regarding Trump’s remarks, noting that none of them had publicly rebuked Trump or called his comments unacceptable.
“When you see former President Trump just in the last 24 hours suggesting in a pretty thinly veiled way, using words that that could well cause violence against the Republican leader of the Senate, saying he has a death wish and then … launching an absolutely despicable, racist attack against Secretary Chao, Leader McConnell’s wife, and then you watch the fact that nobody in my party will say that’s unacceptable,” Cheney said.
“And everybody ought to be asked whether or not that’s acceptable, and everybody ought to be able to say no, that is not acceptable. They ought to be required to say that,” Cheney emphasized.
Cheney, so far, is the only Republican to call out Trump’s remarks targeting McConnel and his wife.
On Friday (September 30), after McConnell had supported a continuing resolution to fund the government until the middle of December, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J. Trump, and he knows I am strongly opposed to them, or is he doing it because he believes in the Fake and Highly Destructive Green New Deal, and is willing to take the Country down with him? In any event, either reason is unacceptable. He has a DEATH WISH!”
The former President continued his attack on McConnell, writing, “Must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!”
