Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) raised eyebrows among conservatives on Twitter after he defended Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) decision to support impeaching President Trump a second time.
His response came after Cheney pushed back on calls for her to resign from her GOP leadership position.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), for example, said her views don’t represent the conference or “Republican ideals” and asked that she step down. Others agreed.
Cheney pushed back, however, and said she’s “not going anywhere.”
“The is a vote of conscience,” she told a Politico reporter. “It’s one where there are different views in our conference.”
Crenshaw came to her defense, retweeting the No. 3 Republican’s comment along with a message of his own.
“Let’s get some truth on the record: @Liz_Cheney has a hell of a lot more backbone than most, & is a principled leader with a fierce intellect. She will continue to be a much needed leader in the conference, with my full support. We can disagree without tearing eachother apart.”
Let’s get some truth on the record: @Liz_Cheney has a hell of a lot more backbone than most, & is a principled leader with a fierce intellect. She will continue to be a much needed leader in the conference, with my full support.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 13, 2021
We can disagree without tearing eachother apart. https://t.co/yMLary1kLj
GOP colleague Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) disagreed.
"With all due respect to Rep. Crenshaw, this is a minority view within the minority party," he pointed out.
With all due respect to Rep. Crenshaw, this is a minority view within the minority party. https://t.co/Q0kVVhlH4m
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) January 13, 2021
Many other conservatives expressed displeasure with Crenshaw's comments, likening the Texas Republican to John McCain and calling for him to be primaried.
Crenshaw voted by proxy against impeachment "for personal reasons," despite once calling out proxy voting as "cowardly."
We should not ignore the President’s behavior leading up to the violence in the Capitol on Jan 6. He bears enormous responsibility for it. But impeachment is not the answer. We all need to deescalate, lower the temperature, and move forward together as a country.
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) January 13, 2021
My statement: pic.twitter.com/MqcBAeGhBu