THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 7A
GOP ousts Cheney from leadership
By Alan Fram and
Kevin Freking
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — House
Republicans ousted Rep. Liz
Cheney from her post as the
chamber’s No. 3 GOP leader
on Wednesday, May 12, pun-
ishing her after she repeatedly
rebuked former President
Donald Trump for his false
claims of election fraud and
his role in inciting the Jan. 6
Capitol attack.
Meeting behind closed doors
for less than 20 minutes, GOP
lawmakers used a voice vote
to remove the Wyoming con-
gresswoman from her leader-
ship post, the latest evidence
that challenging Trump can
be career-threatening.
She was Congress’ highest-
ranking Republican woman,
a daughter of former Vice
President Dick Cheney, and
her removal marked a jarring
turnabout to what’s been her
fast rise within the party.
Cheney has refused to
stop repudiating Trump and
defi antly signaled after the
meeting that she intended to
use her overthrow to try point-
ing the party away from him.
“I will do everything I can
to ensure that the former
president never again gets
anywhere near the Oval Of-
fi ce,” she told reporters.
Cheney’s fate had been
clear for some time with
Trump, House Minority
Leader Kevin McCarthy of
California and No. 2 GOP
leader Steve Scalise of Loui-
siana all arrayed against her.
GOP lawmakers complained
that Cheney’s offense wasn’t
her view of Trump but her
persistence in publicly ex-
pressing it, undermining the
unity they want party leaders
to display in advance of next
year’s elections, when they
hope to win House control.
Even so, stripping Cheney,
54, of her leadership job stood
as a striking, perhaps defi ning
moment for the GOP.
One of the nation’s two
Samuel Corum/Getty Images-TNS
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks during a news confer-
ence at the Capitol on July 21, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
major parties was in effect
declaring an extraordinary
requirement for admission to
its highest ranks: fealty to, or
at least silence about, Trump’s
lie that he lost his November
reelection bid due to wide-
spread fraud. In states around
the country, offi cials and
judges of both parties found no
evidence to support Trump’s
claims that extensive illegali-
ties caused his defeat.
Cheney’s replacement was
widely expected to be Rep.
Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who en-
tered the House in 2015 at age
30, then the youngest woman
ever elected to Congress. Ste-
fanik owns a more moderate
voting record than Cheney but
has evolved into a vigorous
Trump defender who’s echoed
some of his unfounded claims
about widespread election
cheating.
It was initially unclear
when the separate vote on
Cheney’s replacement would
occur.
Wednesday’s voice vote
averted a specifi c public gauge
of how much support Cheney
may have had, though it had
become clear that sentiment
among the 212 House Repub-
licans was strongly for her re-
moval. Cheney, who did little
to try to rally support among
her colleagues, made clear
that she was plunging ahead
on her anti-Trump path.
“We must go forward based
on truth,” she said. “We cannot
both embrace the big lie and
embrace the Constitution.”
Cheney has told Republi-
cans she intends to remain
in Congress and seek reelec-
tion next year in her solidly
pro-Trump state. The former
president has said he’ll fi nd
a GOP primary challenger to
oppose her.
In an audacious signal that
she was not backing down,
Cheney took to a nearly empty
House chamber Tuesday night
to deliver an unapologetic
four-minute assault on her
GOP adversaries and defense
of her own position.
“Remaining silent and
ignoring the lie emboldens
the liar,” she said, adding, “I
will not sit back and watch in
silence while others lead our
party down a path that aban-
dons the rule of law and joins
the former president’s crusade
to undermine our democracy.”
Many Republicans consider
a turn away from Trump to
be political suicide and agree
with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-
S.C., who’s said the allegiance
many GOP voters have to the
former president is so intense
that the party can’t succeed
without him.
Trump raced to a rancor-
ous victory lap after Cheney’s
removal.
“Liz Cheney is a bitter,
horrible human being. I
watched her yesterday and
realized how bad she is for the
Republican Party. She has no
personality or anything good
having to do with politics or
our Country. She is a talking
point for Democrats, whether
that means the Border, the
gas lines, infl ation, or destroy-
ing our economy. ”
Before Wednesday’s vote,
Cheney all but erected
billboards advertising her
clash with Trump, declaring
in a Washington Post column
last week, “The Republican
Party is at a turning point,
and Republicans must decide
whether we are going to
choose truth and fi delity to
the Constitution.”
She arrived in Congress
in 2017 with a well-known
brand as an old-school con-
servative, favoring tax cuts,
energy development and an
assertive use of U.S. power
abroad. By November 2018
she was elected to her current
leadership job unopposed
and seemed on an ambitious
pathway, potentially includ-
ing runs at becoming speaker,
senator or even president.
She occasionally disagreed
with Trump during his presi-
dency over issues like the U.S.
withdrawal from Syria and
his attacks on Dr. Anthony
Fauci over the pandemic. But
her career hit turbulence in
January once she became one
of 10 House Republicans to
back his second impeachment
for inciting his supporters’
deadly Capitol assault. The
Senate acquitted him.
In a memorable statement
before the House impeach-
ment vote, Cheney said: “The
president of the United States
summoned this mob, as-
sembled the mob, and lit the
fl ame of this attack. Every-
thing that followed was his
doing.”
BAKER TENNIS
Vale tops Baker
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Baker’s tennis team had several strong performances
but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Vale Vikings on
Monday, May 10 at Vale.
The Vikings claimed six of the nine matches.
Junior Sarah Plummer won her second straight
match, rallying to beat Brenda Ramirez, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
“It was a great game, there were a lot of rallies,” Baker
coach Amy Younger said. “Each girl worked very hard for
each point and game.”
Baker’s other win on the girls side was the doubles
team of freshman Tristen Tritt and sophomore Riley
Shaw, who beat Jessica Borrego and Giselle Bahena in a
pro set, 8-5.
For the boys, Baker sophomore Lincoln Nemec had the
Bulldogs’ win, beating Sam Mendieta, 6-0, 6-2.
Younger also lauded the efforts the doubles team of
freshmen Noah Lien and Weston Downing, who lost to
Eli Mendieta and Vincent Arteaga, 6-0, 6-4.
“The score doesn’t show how well matched these two
teams were,” Younger said.
NFL schedule released
The season opens on the
same fi eld where the Buc-
The NFL is returning
caneers became the fi rst
to London in October and team to win a Super Bowl
Tom Brady begins his
at home. Other highlights
pursuit of an eighth Super from opening weekend
Bowl title against Dak
include Matthew Stafford
Prescott and the Dallas
playing his fi rst game for
Cowboys when Tampa Bay the Los Angeles Rams on
hosts the league’s annual
Sunday night against the
kickoff game on Sept. 9.
Chicago Bears with SoFi
The fi rst game in Lon-
Stadium welcoming fans
don since the coronavirus for the fi rst time.
pandemic will be played
Most teams are expected
on Oct. 10 as the Atlanta
to be at full capacity follow-
Falcons face the New York ing a season played before
Jets. A week later, the
limited crowds because of
Jacksonville Jaguars meet COVID-19.
the Miami Dolphins. Both
Reigning AFC champion
games will be played at the Kansas City hosts the
stadium of Premier League Cleveland Browns in a
soccer team Tottenham.
playoff rematch in Week 1.
The Falcons and the
The Chiefs eliminated the
Jaguars will be the home
Browns in the divisional
teams.
round last season.
By Rob Maaddi
AP Pro Football Writer
To our fellow healthcare workers,
thank you for being the answer.
It has been a year like no other. Despite the challenges, our colleagues have courageously
embraced our mission and have been unwavering in their calling to serve.
This Healthcare Week, and every week, we honor you. We thank you.
We celebrate you.