GOP leadership falling apart as war over Trump takes toll on House members: report

According to a report from Punchbowl News, Rep. Liz Cheney's continuing attacks on former Donald Trump are causing problems within the party with fellow House members complaining the Wyoming Republican is making life difficult for them with voters in their district.

While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been telling reporters that the party is a "big tent," that accepts differences in opinion, Punchbowl reports that all hell is breaking loose inside the tent.

According to Punchbowl, ".... practically all the talk in GOP circles right now is centered on whether Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) can hang on as Republican Conference chair. She's in a cold war, of sorts, with former President Donald Trump and the Trump family. The problem, of course, is most House Republicans see Trump as the leader of the party, and Cheney sees him as an existential threat to the country and her and the GOP."

According to the report, pressure from House members about Cheney's refusal to back down on her Trump comments has only increased the rift between her and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) because it is causing them problems with voters at home when they should be preparing for the 2022 midterms.

"Cheney is losing support among senior House Republicans. Remember: McCarthy backed Cheney in her last tussle with the membership, while House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) stayed on the sidelines," the report states before adding, "GOP lawmakers have told us having Cheney in leadership is becoming a problem for them back home. This is a dangerous position for any party leader to be in. When rank-and-file members start getting asked difficult questions about a member of their leadership by constituents -- in this case, over her continued feud with Trump -- that's a big warning sign."

This is not to say that Cheney doesn't have her defenders among the membership with the report noting that McCarthy also has his detractors -- particularly after his appearance on Fox News last weekend where he tried to defend the ex-president's actions during the Jan 6th Capitol insurrection.

"... they say that this entire new round of hand-wringing started when McCarthy went on Fox News Sunday last week and seemed to trip over his answer about his interactions with Trump during the Jan. 6 insurrection," Punchbowl reports. "The Wyoming Republican's backers believe that McCarthy and other GOP lawmakers are uncomfortable with Cheney speaking truths about Trump."

The report notes that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is meeting this weekend to plan strategy -- and that Cheney will not be attending.

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