Mitt Romney backs Liz Cheney as pressure against her builds in her own party

Sen. Mitt Romney publicly backed embattled Rep. Liz Cheney on Tuesday in the increasingly public fight over her disagreements with President Trump and her party leadership role.

In a tweet the day after Ms. Cheney called Mr. Trump’s claim of a stolen 2020 presidential election ”THE BIG LIE,” Mr. Romney praised Ms. Cheney as a “person of conscience.”

“Every person of conscience draws a line beyond which they will not go: Liz Cheney refuses to lie,” the Utah Republican wrote.

Mr. Romney is the only senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president of his own party, following on the vote of Ms. Cheney and nine other House Republicans to impeach Mr. Trump.
He drew a comparison between the two situations Tuesday.

“As one of my Republican Senate colleagues said to me following my impeachment vote: ‘I wouldn’t want to be a member of a group that punished someone for following their conscience,’” he wrote.

Ms. Cheney is the third-ranking House Republican as the chairwoman of the party’s conference, but that position was looking in greater jeopardy than ever Tuesday over her increasing criticism of Mr. Trump.

Every person of conscience draws a line beyond which they will not go: Liz Cheney refuses to lie. As one of my Republican Senate colleagues said to me following my impeachment vote: “I wouldn’t want to be a member of a group that punished someone for following their conscience.”

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 4, 2021