Liz Cheney says Republicans "wanted me to lie" about Trump

• "I had to choose between lying and losing my position in House leadership," continued Cheney, who was ousted as the No. 3 House Republican after she called out Trump's false election claims.
• "As I spoke to my colleagues on my last morning as chair of the Republican conference, I told them that if they wanted a leader who would lie, they should choose someone else," added the 1988 Colorado College graduate.
• "No party, no nation, no people can defend and perpetuate a constitutional republic if they accept leaders who have gone to war with the rule of law, with the democratic process, with the peaceful transfer of power, with the Constitution itself."

Of note: While most applauded Cheney's commencement speech, about half of the 450 graduates turned their chairs so they showed their backs to the now-University of Virginia professor in protest against her voting history on issues including LGBTQ+ rights, per The Gazette.

Meanwhile, Cheney called on more women to take up office.

• "You may have noticed that men are pretty much running things these days, and it’s not really going all that well," she said. "You can change that."

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