McCarthy Attacks Cheney and Kinzinger as ‘Pelosi Republicans’ – Says He’ll ‘See’ After Call to Punish Them

Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is responding to a growing chorus of his House GOP caucus members, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who are calling on him to “punish” Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) for agreeing to sit on the U.S. Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

“The push to seek punishment rose to a new level on Sunday, after Pelosi announced that Kinzinger had accepted her invitation to join the committee. Initially, most rank-and-file Republicans were content to let Cheney serve without much of a fight, but Kinzinger’s addition has changed the conversation and has put a new level of pressure on McCarthy,” CNN reports.

Some members, including Gaetz, want McCarthy to strip the two Republicans of all their committee assignments but CNN notes Speaker Pelosi could merely re-appoint them. Regardless, the extremists on the right “believe Cheney and Kinzinger need to be reprimanded for not remaining loyal to the conference.”

The Daily Mail’s Emily Goodin reports McCarthy is indulging his more Trumpian tendencies, calling Cheney and Kinzinger names.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy told me “we’ll see” when asked if Cheney and Kinzinger will be punished for serving on Jan 6 committee. I asked him the last time he talked to either of them: “Couldn’t tell you.” He called them “Pelosi Republicans.” pic.twitter.com/jMyjJBoq5I

— Emily Goodin (@Emilylgoodin) July 26, 2021

Meanwhile, Rep. Gaetz makes clear he sees all this as just a game, angry that one of the GOP’s best “players” has been benched.

Kevin McCarthy should be stronger in taking action against Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney.

If they’re going to take Nancy Pelosi appointments to committees, we should probably remove them as Republican representatives on the House Armed Services and Energy & Commerce committees. pic.twitter.com/A1nQVEUcf0

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) July 26, 2021