'Livid' Trump says Kevin McCarthy 'betrayed him' for not reprimanding Liz Cheney: report

As one faction of the GOP sought to punish Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for her insurrectionist rhetoric and promotion of right-wing conspiracy theories, another sought to punish Liz Cheney (R-WY) for her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump -- all developments that left House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) with a choice, according to Vanity Fair's Eric Lutz: "Would he apply at least some standard of discipline to his party's members? Or would he embrace the nihilistic vision of power-for-power's sake that has defined the Donald Trump era?"

"McCarthy did not reprimand Greene over her support for conspiracy theories and unsuitable conduct, leading Democrats to remove her from her committee assignments themselves. At the same time, he allowed the wing she represents to rail against Cheney," Lutz writes, adding that McCarthy "led without leading."

McCarthy's vagueness led an influential Republican adviser to tell CNN last week that it's not clear if McCarthy wants to be a part of "Republican Party or the QAnon party." According to Lutz, McCarthy has already answered the question.

"Refusing to denounce Greene makes it clear that there is a home for that kind of extremism in the GOP. What's more, declining to take a harder stand in support of Cheney, whom he reportedly pressed to apologize for her impeachment vote, suggests that insufficient loyalty to Trump is an appropriate litmus test for members of his party to impose on one another," Lutz writes.

But McCarthy's balancing act reportedly hasn't impressed Trump, who is said to be "livid and fuming" that McCarthy "betrayed" him by not reprimanding Cheney.

Read the full article over at Vanity Fair.