Lindsey Graham Says The GOP “Can’t Grow Without” Trump, Positions Himself Against Liz Cheney

Sen. Graham’s comments come as House Republicans attempt to oust Rep. Liz Cheney from her position as chair of the House Republican Conference for daring to defend the 2020 election results.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Speaks to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday, May 6, 2021. | Fox News
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Speaks to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday, May 6, 2021. | Fox News

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Thursday that the GOP’s only path forward is with former President Donald Trump. 

“I would just say to my Republican colleagues, can we move forward without Donald Trump?,” Sen. Graham said to Sean Hannity on Fox News. “The answer is no.”

Sen. Graham’s comments come as House Republicans are once again gearing up to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from her position as chair of the House Republican Conference because she refuses to spread or legitimize the lie that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Rep. Cheney was one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump for his part in inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. 

“I've always liked Liz Cheney, but she's made a determination that the Republican Party can't grow with President Trump,” Sen. Graham said Thursday. “I've determined that we can't grow without him." 

The latest attempt to remove Rep. Cheney from her position intensified after she spoke out against Trump, who continues to lie about the 2020 election being stolen. 

“The 2020 presidential election was not stolen,” Rep Cheney tweeted on Monday. “Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.”

Rep. Cheney also reportedly made off-the-record comments on Monday that the Republican Party should not accept the lie that the 2020 election was fraudulent or “whitewash” Trump’s role in inciting the Capitol riots. 

“It's a poison in the bloodstream of our democracy,” Cheney reportedly said, according to CNN. “We can’t whitewash what happened on January 6 or perpetuate Trump’s big lie. It is a threat to democracy. What he did on January 6 is a line that cannot be crossed.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said May 4 that he’s “had it” with Cheney.

“I’ve lost confidence,” Rep. McCarthy said before a live interview with “Fox and Friends,” according to a tape obtained by Axios.

The expected vote to oust Rep. Cheney could come as soon as May 12, and Trump and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) have endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to replace her.

However, Cheney is not backing down from her criticism. In an op-ed for The Washington Post published Wednesday, Rep. Cheney implored the GOP “to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution.”

“The question before us now is whether we will join Trump’s crusade to delegitimize and undo the legal outcome of the 2020 election, with all the consequences that might have,” Rep. Cheney wrote.

She also said that “Trump is seeking to unravel critical elements of our constitutional structure that make democracy work.”

When asked about Republican attempts to oust the Wyoming Republican, President Joe Biden chuckled and said the GOP is “in the midst of a significant mini-revolution.”

Despite appearing to disavow the former president after the insurrection on the Capitol, Sen. Lindsey Graham said the reason the Republican Party is becoming more popular is because of Trump.

“President Trump appears to be on the side of people working really hard, appears to be on the side of opportunity, not dependency, because he is,” Graham said on Fox.

Sen. Graham’s stated loyalty to the former president recalls comments he made to Axios in March: “[President Trump] could make [the Republican Party] bigger. He could make it stronger. He could make it more diverse, and he could also destroy it.”

Graham did not mention the potential for the GOP’s destruction on Hannity Thursday night.