RINOs have to stick together these days. To that end, former House Speaker Paul Ryan is holding a virtual fundraiser for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). Cheney has fallen out of favor with Wyoming Republicans, and Republicans throughout the country for that matter, after leading a handful of GOP House members in voting with Democrats to impeach Trump a second time.
An invitation first obtained by Politico shows Ryan billed as the special guest for a Mar. 25 fundraising event for Rep. Cheney. Donors have been asked to shell out $2,900 as a personal donation or $5,800 to co-host the event.
At the Conservative Political Action Convention last week, a number of speakers, including former President Donald Trump himself, criticized Cheney for her pro-impeachment vote and called on Republicans to oust Cheney in the primary.
Despite an official censure and a call from the Wyoming Republican Party for Cheney to resign, the representative has been unapologetic in her denunciations of the former president and her vote for impeachment.
A recent poll found Republican voters aren't looking the other way when it comes to GOP lawmakers who supported the latest impeachment effort against Trump. Eight in 10 Republicans said they are less likely to vote for a Republican politician who backed impeachment.
A couple of primary challengers have already stepped forward to take on Cheney. Wyoming state Rep. Chuck Gray (R) declared his candidacy on Thursday, and State Sen. Anthony Bouchard (R) announced that he would run against Cheney shortly after the representative threw in her lot with Democrats.
Like Cheney, Paul Ryan knows what it's like to catch the ire of Donald Trump. After reports surfaced that Ryan had left Congress over his disdain for President Trump, Trump blasted the former speaker on Twitter.
"He had the Majority & blew it away with his poor leadership and bad timing. Never knew how to go after the Dems like they go after us. Couldn’t get him out of Congress fast enough!" wrote Trump.
Ryan was tapped for the speakership after former Speaker John Boehner stepped down in 2015. In April 2018, Ryan announced that he would not seek reelection after spending two decades in Congress.