by Sharon Rondeau
(May 5, 2021) — In what might have been expected given his blog posts earlier Wednesday and adviser Jason Miller’s announcement on Twitter, 45th President Donald J. Trump issued a statement endorsing Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY21) for House Republican Conference Chair and the ouster of current chair Liz Cheney (R-WY).
“Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership,” Trump posted on his “Desk” communication board. “We want leaders who believe in the Make America Great Again movement, and prioritize the values of America First. 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!”
According to gop.gov, the House Republican Conference “is responsible for electing the House Republican leadership, approving GOP Member committee assignments, managing leadership-driven floor debates, and executing a communications strategy that is executed within the party and is conveyed to constituents through the media.” In its entirety, the website states:
The organizational body for all GOP Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the House Republican Conference is responsible for electing the House Republican leadership, approving GOP Member committee assignments, managing leadership-driven floor debates, and executing a communications strategy that is executed within the party and is conveyed to constituents through the media.
Internally, the Conference provides a wide variety of services to Members and their staff. Such services include daily legislative materials, visual media production, educational events and briefings, training seminars, issue-specific talking points, and assistance with press events and materials.
Externally, the House Republican Conference coordinates media availability for leadership events, schedules GOP Members to participate in TV and radio interviews, and generally communicates the House Republican message to the public.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Richard B. Cheney, supported the second impeachment of Trump in January and claims there was no “fraud” involved in Trump’s reported loss of the November 3 election to Democrat Joe Biden.
In recent days, Stefanik had been rumored to be under consideration as a replacement for Cheney, who reportedly has lost the support of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Cheney’s current position as Conference Chair renders her the third-ranking House Republican. She has held the leadership role since November 2018, when House Democrats won a majority in the midterm elections.
A vote on Cheney’s continued leadership role took place in February which she survived, with another expected on or about May 12. According to Fox News on February 1, Trump’s “Save America” PAC “targeted Liz Cheney, one of 10 House Republicans who recently voted to impeach Trump.”