Liz Cheney's Trump vote prompts new Wyoming censure effort
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Some local Republican Party officials in Wyoming have announced they will no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a party member because of her vote to impeach Donald Trump.
"In the immortal words of the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump ...'You're Fired!'" read recent letters to Cheney from GOP officials in Park and Carbon counties.
Wyoming has 23 mainly rural counties and the officials in Park and Carbon counties voted unanimously over the last week in favor of the latest form of censure against Cheney.
In February, the state GOP voted overwhelmingly to censure Cheney for her vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
In May, Republicans in Washington, D.C., voted to remove Cheney from her No. 3 House GOP leadership position after she maintained criticism of Trump for the riot and for his baseless assertions that voter fraud deprived him of re-election.
The Wyoming votes are largely symbolic. The Republican Party can withdraw or withhold support from GOP officeholders and candidates in a variety of ways but can't oust anybody from the party.
Cheney has described her vote to impeach and criticism of Trump as putting principle and the U.S. Constitution above the former president.
"Liz will continue to fight for all the people of Wyoming," Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler told the Casper Star-Tribune. "She knows that she and all elected officials are bound by their duty under the U.S. Constitution, not by blind loyalty to one man."
Republicans in other Wyoming counties have requested copies of the Carbon County GOP resolution and "at least three or four" are likely to pass similar resolutions soon, Carbon County Republican Party Chairman Joey Correnti predicted.
At least seven Republicans are running against Cheney in next year's GOP primary. Trump has said he plans to endorse one of Cheney's opponents within the next few months.
Cheney nonetheless has reported record fundraising, far exceeding of any of her competitors so far.
