Thread by @ByronYork

House Republicans ready to oust Liz Cheney from leadership role today. Expecting media torrent accusing them of being in thrall to Trump, surrendered to Trump. But here's the thing... 1/16 washingtonexaminer.com/politics/why-r…

Go back to January 13. Cheney, nine other Republicans vote to impeach Trump. GOP leadership takes no action against them. When some members call for vote on February 3, Cheney receives big show of support, winning 145-61. 2/16 washingtonexaminer.com/politics/why-r…

So question: If Republicans were so angry at Cheney for her vote against Trump, how did she win a leadership vote by more than 2-to-1 margin just three weeks after? 3/16

Answer is, contrary to much media reporting and commentary, Republicans just weren't that mad at Cheney at that point. 4/16

Now, looks like Cheney, who won by 84 votes in February, will lose this new vote. That means a lot of the 145 Republicans who voted to keep Cheney in leadership in February will vote to remove her now. 5/16

What happened? Did those members who were OK with Cheney's impeachment vote back in February suddenly become so angry about it that they will now vote to remove her? That doesn't really make any sense. 6/16

Why would Republicans be less angry and more tolerant in early February, closer in time to the Trump impeachment, and more angry and less tolerant in May, now that more time has passed? 7/16

Were House Republicans somehow not in thrall to Trump on February 3 but in thrall to him now? Again, it just doesn't make sense. 'The press is trying to make this all about January 6, but if it was about January 6, she would have been removed two months ago,' says GOPer. 8/16

Cheney's current problems intensified *after* first vote on her leadership. She doubled down on campaign against Trump. Got friendly media coverage, but many Republicans saw her was distracting from GOP mission to oppose Biden, win House in 2022. 9/16

Instead, Cheney seemed determined to re-fight battles of November, 2020 to January, 2021. 10/16

So this leadership vote looks different from one in early February. 'I think a lot of people have changed their minds since the first vote because she just kept it going," says second GOPer, who voted to keep Cheney in February but plans to vote to remove her now. 11/16

Also, some GOPers see Cheney's attacks on Trump in broader context than Capitol riot, impeachment. Millions of voters approve of Trump accomplishments. GOP lawmakers (Cheney included) voted for them. Now, they don't see fighting Trump as way to further GOP agenda. 12/16

Finally, for her part, Cheney has become single-issue politician, and her single issue is Trump. CNN reports Cheney is 'planning to wage a protracted political war' against Trump. WP says effort to 'name, shame and banish Trump' is 'fundamental' to Cheney. 13/16

Those reports--and their own observations--will confirm to many Republicans that they are right to remove Cheney from leadership. 14/16

GOP had no desire to punish, exile Cheney when they voted not to remove her in February. But Cheney has changed. Why reward with leadership position a lawmaker who plans to 'wage a protracted political war' against her own colleagues? What sense does that make? 15/16

Link: Why Republicans believe they're right to oust Liz Cheney. 16/16 End washingtonexaminer.com/politics/why-r…