Members of the House Freedom Caucus called on Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) to expel Representatives Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R., Il.) from the House Republican Conference on Thursday.
The Freedom Caucus lawmakers said Cheney and Kinzinger should be ousted over their participation in the House select committee on the January 6 Capitol riot. Lawmakers argued that having the two in the GOP conference, which organizes House Republican leadership, committee assignments, and other matters, is counterproductive to GOP strategy.
“It was antithetical to have sitting in your conference individuals who professed that they want to take out the minority leader and then they want to go join the Democrats on a witch hunt through the Republican Party,” Representative Andy Biggs (R., Ariz.) told reporters.
“We’ve got two members…of our party who have switched teams,” said Representative Ralph Norman (R., S.C.). “What if you had a football game and two players just all of a sudden kept the same uniform but started playing for the other team. Something has got to be done.”
“Since January, I’ve seen firsthand that Representative Kinzinger and Cheney have done more to hurt [the] Republican Conference than help them,” Representative Lauren Boebert (R., Colo.) said.
Cheney and Kinzinger have been outspoken critics of former President Trump and his conduct during the Capitol riot. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) appointed Cheney to the select committee at the beginning of this month, and Kinzinger on Sunday.
Pelosi refused to accept the appointments of Representatives Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Jim Banks (R., Ind.) to the committee, leading McCarthy to withdraw all of his appointments.