Cheney slams "poisonous lies" about 2020 election in closing campaign ad
Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during a hearing for the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 atttack on July 27. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in her closing ad before her primary election next week slammed fellow Republicans who she said are spreading "poisonous lies" about the 2020 election.
Driving the news: The false claims that the 2020 election was stolen "is a cancer that threatens our great republic," said Cheney, the vice chair of the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack and a fierce critic of former President Trump.
- "History has shown us over and over again how these types of poisonous lies destroy free nations," she said.
The big picture: Former Vice President Dick Cheney in a viral ad earlier this week attacked Trump as a "coward," one week before his daughter's primary election, Axios' Alayna Treene reports.
- Polls show Cheney is in danger of being defeated by her Trump-backed opponent, Harriet Hageman, Treene notes.
- But Cheney may be playing the long game, potentially preparing for a 2024 presidential run.
What she's saying: "America cannot remain free if we abandon the truth. The lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is insidious. It preys on those who love their country," Cheney says in the ad.
- "It is a door Donald Trump opened to manipulate Americans to abandon their principals, to sacrifice their freedom, to justify violence, to ignore the rulings of our courts and the rule of law."
- "This is Donald Trump's legacy, but it cannot be the future of our nation."
Go deeper: Viral Cheney ad to air on Fox News