When Warnings Fall on Deaf Ears

For Republicans and Democrats, the Truth Is Often an Inconvenience -- to Be Avoided at All Costs

Of the millions of words uttered about the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol —or insurrection, if you prefer — none have been so eloquent as those spoken by Liz Cheney, who at the time was the Republican congresswoman from Wyoming.

Cheney was the vice chair of the House select committee that  was investigating the events of that day, and at the opening of the hearing she issued what amounted to a warning to her fellow Republicans: “I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: there will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”

For that, she was called a traitor and lost her bid for reelection to a  woman who whole-heartedly supported Donald Trump (and whom Trump in return whole-heartedly supported). To say Wyoming is Trump country is an understatement.  Cheney got only about 29 percent of the GOP primary vote in 2022.

And even now — after numerous run-ins with the law — the man she warned Republicans about is leading his GOP rivals for the nomination — and it’s not even close.