Cheney does "not have faith" Mike Johnson will certify election
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Former Rep. Liz Cheney speaks at a Kamala Harris rally in Ripon, Wisconsin on Oct. 3, 2024. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) said Sunday she does not trust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to certify the 2024 election if Vice President Harris wins.
Why it matters: It's a harsh assessment by a onetime member of House GOP leadership, now campaigning for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, towards her onetime deputy.
What she's saying: "I do not have faith that Mike Johnson will fulfill his constitutional obligations," Cheney said on NBC's "Meet the Press," referring to Congress' role in certifying presidential elections on Jan. 6.
- Cheney pointed to Johnson spearheading an amicus brief in 2020 that argued for nullifying President Biden's victories in several key states.
- "The claims of fraud Donald Trump was making [in 2020] ... he knew those to be false," she said. "He was told that, not only in discussions with me, but also by the House Republican counsel."
- She added: "I think it's very important that the Republicans not be in the majority in the House come January 2025."
Zoom out: Cheney and Johnson found themselves on opposite sides of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
- Cheney, then the chair of the House Republican Conference, vigorously rejected Trump's baseless election fraud claims and later voted to impeach him for inciting the deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Cheney would go on to serve as vice chair of the Jan. 6 select committee after being ousted as conference chair.
- Johnson, who was at the time the chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee and would become Cheney's conference vice chair for several months before her ouster, backed Trump to the hilt.
Between the lines: Trump and his allies have already begun putting together the pieces for a campaign of denial should Harris win the election, putting Democrats on high alert, Axios' Zach Basu reported.
- Johnson has further incensed Harris allies by saying Congress will certify a Harris victory if it is "free, fair and safe."
- A handful of senior Democrats have left wiggle room on whether they will certify an election victory for former President Trump, but Democratic leadership has ruled out an organized effort to object.
The other side: Johnson said during a "Meet the Press" interview ahead of Cheney's on Sunday that his comments should not undermine public confidence in the election results.
- "Everybody can sigh and take a deep breath. Our system is going to work," Johnson said, adding that a Republican majority will certify the election "regardless" of who wins "if the election is free and fair and legal."
- Johnson also said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he doesn't expect "we'll see anything like" the violence in 2021 and predicted Trump win will with a majority that is "too big to rig."
