Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., verbally attacked Chair of the House GOP Conference Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in her home state on Thursday.
Gaetz, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, called for Cheney's ouster during a rally outside the Capitol in Cheyenne, Wyo., per The Hill.
Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on Jan. 13 for inciting the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. House conservatives are pushing to remove Cheney from her No. 3 leadership position.
"Our battle is no longer just Republican vs. Democrat, it's not just red team versus blue team. Absolutely not — we've got to put America first," Gaetz said. "Those are the old battles of yesteryear. But people have always come to the great frontiers of Wyoming to win the future — that's why I'm here.
"Liz Cheney is a lot like Congress — deeply unpopular and owned by special interests. She's taken more money from PACs than people. She works for them, not you."
Gaetz, who has had a contentious relationship with Cheney, hosted the rally a day after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called on Republican members to stop attacking each other.
The Florida representative blasted Cheney for her foreign policy positions, alleging she supports endless wars, and accused her of being beholden to special interests.
"The truth is that the establishment in both political parties have teamed up to screw our fellow Americans for generations," Gaetz said. "The private insider club of [President] Joe Biden, [Senate GOP Leader] Mitch McConnell, [Sen.] Mitt Romney, [R-Utah], [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, [D-Calif.] and Liz Cheney, they want to return our government to its default setting: enriching them.
"They want to turn our government to its default setting, enriching them, making them more powerful at our expense, but we can stop and it starts right here in Wyoming."
Donald Trump Jr., the former president's son, called in to offer his own critique of the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Gaetz held his phone up to a microphone as Trump Jr. spoke.
"It seems like Liz Cheney's favorables are only slightly worse than her father's shooting skills," said Trump Jr., apparently referring to a nonfatal incident in which Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man.
Conservatives' issues with Cheney were scheduled to be discussed when the House reconvenes.
Several leading congressional Republicans, including Sen. John Barrasso, R.-Wyo., have defended Cheney.
"Wyoming doesn't like it when outsiders come into our state and try to tell us what to do," former Wyoming state Rep. Amy Edmonds said in a statement.
Last week, Republican state Sen. Anthony Bouchard announced his primary challenge to Cheney in 2022.
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