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House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told reporters this week that she doesn't believe Donald Trump "should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country." Not surprisingly, she's already facing a partisan backlash.
But some Republicans aren't just angry with the Wyoming congresswoman; they're also upset with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for tolerating Cheney's anti-Trump attitudes. Indeed, the former president has reportedly expressed outrage after McCarthy failed to help oust Cheney from the House GOP leadership team.
Yesterday, as the Washington Examiner noted, another prominent figure from Team Trump
Peter Navarro, who served as Trump's trade adviser and was on the coronavirus task force, said Wednesday that McCarthy "has to go" as a result of how he handled the fallout from Rep. Liz Cheney's vote to impeach Trump.
After complaining that Cheney is "going to keep talking that smack" about the former president, Navarro added, in apparent reference to McCarthy, "[L]et's never forget that guy, when he had her in his sights, he blinked. He's responsible. He's got to go. Kevin McCarthy has to go. He no longer has the confidence of the MAGA portion of the Republican Party. He should not be welcome at Mar-a-Lago."
To be sure, Navarro is not in a position to call the shots in GOP politics in 2021, and there's no reason to assume the House minority leader is in trouble based solely on these comments.
But Navarro was, and remains, an unflinching Trump loyalist in all matters, and it's hardly a stretch to think his criticisms of McCarthy reflect the former president's frustrations. If the House minority leader remained in Trump's good graces, Navarro almost certainly wouldn't say the House Republican "has to go."
What's more, it's not just Navarro. The Hill reported a few weeks ago, for example, that House Republicans "are voicing frustrations" with McCarthy and what they see as "inconsistent" leadership.
That came on the heels of Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) telling reporters, in comments directed at McCarthy and others, "[W]e have leadership issues."
A week earlier, Politico reported that while no one has called for the California Republican's ouster from his leadership post, "tensions are undoubtedly running high inside the conference."
In recent months, McCarthy has tried desperately to thread partisan needles, trying to keep every faction of his party happy. If the House minority leader assumes his efforts are working, he's mistaken.