Cheney and Gaetz and Massie and Trump: House GOP tangled up over loyalty

GOP Conference chairwoman takes fire, and returns it

Hours after the first in-person House Republican Conference meeting in months erupted in tensions between Chairwoman Liz Cheney and several rank-and-file members, Cheney and other GOP leaders sought to present a united front, even as she stood by the positions that got her crossways with colleagues.

At the Tuesday morning meeting, Cheney was sharply criticized by Florida’s Matt Gaetz and others for not supporting Kentucky’s Thomas Massie in his primary, for not backing President Donald Trump strongly enough, and for showing support for Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 140,000 Americans and counting.

Cheney said she respects Massie and looks forward to working with him and winning the majority come November. Continue reading.