Elise Stefanik Insists RNC Has "Every Right" to Censure Cheney and Kinzinger

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Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 09:00 pm

Elise Stefanik, the House GOP Conference Chairwoman (N.Y.) insisted that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has “every right” to censure Representatives Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for their participation in the investigation into the events of January 6, the day a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the United States Capitol on the false premise the 2020 general election was stolen.

“The RNC has every right to take any action. And the position that I have is that you’re ultimately held accountable to voters in your district. Voters who you represent. And we’re going to hear the feedback and the views of voters pretty quickly here this year,” Stefanik said.

Stefanik was careful with her language and did not explicitly endorse the language in the RNC’s censure resolution stating that Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse” by sitting on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the attack. However, she called the committee “political theater” and accused it of “punishing partisan opponents.”

Yesterday, Kinzinger criticized the RNC for its censure of him and Cheney, noting that the censure of “Liz and I was a bridge that went way too far.”

“Conservatism is no longer about what you actually believe, it’s about how intensely you’re loyal to Donald Trump,” Kinzinger told CNN, noting that the RNC’s move is a sign that the Republican Party “is not committed to the rule of law, despite what they say and it’s not committed to democratic principles.”

Cheney, for her part, stressed that her party’s censure will not stop her from continuing to speak out against Trump.

“The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy,” she wrote on Twitter.

Ronna McDaniel, the RNC’s chairwoman, said in a statement that Cheney and Kinzinger “crossed a line.”

“They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol,” she added.