Members of the House Republican Conference ignored leader Kevin McCarthy last week when he warned them to criticize colleagues by name on the grounds that intelligence could cause more political violence.
Why it matters: McCarthy has made it clear that opponents who lay down names, instead of spelling out complaints in a more general sense, can place a literary target on a politician, especially with tensions so high following the events on 6 January.
This is what with rep. Liz Cheney happened, the GOP conference chairperson, after saying she would support President Trump’s accusation.
- She and several other members had to increase their safety and take extra precautions due to death threats and other disturbing warnings after their colleagues singled them out in their complaints.
What McCarthy said: The House’s minority leader issued his warning last Monday during a conference call. He said his concerns were driven by the FBI briefings he received.
- “It does not matter which side of the position you were in: I respect that, I respect why you did what you did. But what we say on television when we say a member’s name … It’s not the moment not in time to do so. ‘
- “You can incite something else. The country is very divided and we know it. Let’s not nominate a member, I can not care who they are, not even a Democratic or Democratic member of Congress. Keep our words fine “I understand it reports weekly. I saw something I had not seen before.”
A few minutes later, McCarthy repeated the message: ‘Emotions are high. What you say matters. Let us not endanger other people. Let’s see what words we use and certainly do not use other members’ names in any media. ”
Days later, some IDP members ignored him and openly criticized their colleagues
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger tweeted it the name of his Republican counterpart, Representative Majorie Taylor Greene, “will be forgotten by January.”
- Rep. Lauren Boebart (R-Colo.) Mocked speaker Nancy Pelosi over the House’s new mask fines.
One of the most blatant attacks, which led to a media firestorm, was when several members of the House Freedom Caucus went behind Cheney to vote to accuse Trump.
- On the day of the vote, members distributed a petition to remove her from her leadership role.
- Cheney is now carrying out a series of threats against her, many of the ardent Trump supporters angry at her voice, a source with direct knowledge of the threat said.
- “We are not commenting on security issues,” Cheney’s communications director Jeremy Adler told Axios.
What we hear: McCarthy’s team told Axios he did not want any consequences. Spokesman Matt Sparks said the leader wants to lower the temperature and encourage members to be mindful of the current environment.