Get the latest market trends in your inbox
Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with the Axios Markets newsletter. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Minneapolis-St. Paul
Tampa-St. Petersburg news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa-St. Petersburg
Photo: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) called on House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to "step down or be removed" after a heated conference meeting on Tuesday.
The backdrop: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus attacked Cheney, the most senior female Republican in the House, for breaking with President Trump on several occasions and supporting a primary opponent against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Politico first reported and Axios can confirm.
What they're saying: "Liz Cheney has worked behind the scenes (and now in public) against @realDonaldTrump and his agenda," Gaetz tweeted. "House Republicans deserve better as our Conference Chair. Liz Cheney should step down or be removed. #MAGA"
- Donald Trump Jr. quote-tweeted Gaetz and wrote: "We already have one Mitt Romney, we don’t need another... we also don’t need the endless wars she advocates for."
Behind the scenes: About five or six members of the House GOP conference are upset at Cheney, but the majority support how she has carried herself, a source familiar with the meeting told Axios' Alayna Treene.
- Cheney spoke at the beginning of the meeting — before the blow-up — about the dangers of a Biden-Pelosi-Schumer regime, why they represent a threat to the country, and how everyone wants the same goal: To see Trump re-elected, take back the House, and keep the Senate.
- Despite breaking with Trump a few times recently, including over reports of Russian bounties in Afghanistan, Cheney has voted with the president 97% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.