Who is Elise Stefanik, Liz Cheney s likely GOP leadership replacement? Andrew Romano
On Wednesday, House Republicans voted overwhelmingly to strip Rep. Liz Cheney the congresswoman from MAGA-red Wyoming who voted with President Trump 93 percent of the time of her No. 3 leadership position.
And later this week they will almost certainly vote to replace her with Rep. Elise Stefanik, a 36-year-old Harvard grad and former Paul Ryan acolyte from deep-blue New York state whose record is arguably more liberal than those of 98 percent of her GOP colleagues.
A few conservatives, such as Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, have objected to Stefanik’s coronation on ideological grounds. But most of the rest of the GOP, from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to hard-right Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, don’t seem to mind that Stefanik’s voting record is significantly more moderate than Cheney’s.
75 Percent of Republicans Want Trump to Play Big Role in GOP: Survey
Three-quarters of Republicans told Quinnipiac University pollsters that they want former President Donald Trump to play a prominent role in the Republican Party, according to a survey released two days after Trump’s acquittal.
The national poll, which was carried out on a representative sample of 1,056 adults, found that 75 percent of Republican respondents said Trump should play a major role in the GOP going forward, with that number dropping to 34 percent if all categories of respondents are considered.
At the same time, 87 percent of Republicans said they think Trump should not be barred from holding future office, with that number dropping to 43 percent if Democrats and Independents are included in the polling mix.
Melania Trump Criticizes Media’s ‘Unhealthy Obsession’ With Her After Negative Report
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s representatives have criticized CNN over an anonymously sourced report, asserting that the story shows the media’s “unhealthy obsession” with her.
“Mrs. Trump is no longer First Lady. She is a private citizen, mother, & wife. Sources in this article are not affiliated w her nor have insight into her thoughts or daily life. CNN’s FLOTUS Correspondent choosing to publish false gossip illustrates the media’s unhealthy obsession,” the office of Melania Trump said in a statement on social media.
The CNN report cited several people in claiming Trump’s daily life since leaving office has had nothing to do with politics. One of the unnamed sources allegedly said the former first lady was disengaged from the impeachment trial of her husband, former President Donald Trump, which ended with his acquittal on Feb. 13.