It’s official. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) will step into Rep. Liz Cheney’s leadership role in the House of Representatives. The New York Times writes:
The secret-ballot vote, which unfolded in a basement auditorium at the Capitol, was the culmination of a remarkable campaign by Republicans to purge a vocal critic of Mr. Trump from their ranks, solidifying his grasp on the party and cementing a litmus test for its leaders of unswerving loyalty to the former president.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) was Stefanik’s only competitor.
Stefanik had the backing of Donald Trump and several other prominent Republicans.
As News & Guts previously reported, during Trump’s first impeachment trial back in 2020, conservatives hailed the 36-year-old Trump loyalist a breakout star. But in her district, there were mixed feelings over her coziness with Trump. At the time Salon wrote, “Stefanik’s brand was built around a carefully cultivated image of moderation, and she’s now rebranded herself as a Trump loyalist and all-out obstructionist in the mold of (Rep. Jim) Jordan and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.”
Stefanik is being more clear on her views now, making it clear she bows down to “President Trump.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is among those criticizing Stefanik’s rise to conference chair. Her office released a statement today titled, “House Republicans Elevate Another Conspiracy Theorist to Leadership.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik both voted to overturn American democracy – and is pathetically trying to hide her vote against putting shots in arms, money in pockets, and kids back in school.
Stefanik joins Minority Leader McCarthy proudly representing the majority of House Republicans who sided with the insurrectionists seeking to overturn a presidential election and the scores of House Republicans scrambling to hide their vote against the widely popular American Rescue Plan.
Pelosi isn’t the only one raising a red flag.