Alan Simpson says Cheney ‘not after Trump or hating Trump’

Former Sen Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), who appeared in a new campaign ad for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) released Tuesday, said that Cheney is “not after Trump or hating Trump.”

The former Wyoming senator, who made those remarks to NBC News in an interview, argued “she is stating what is obvious to many Americans: That this is a wrecking ball of democracy.”

Simpson – well-known within Wyoming after serving in the upper chamber for 18 years, including as the assistant Republican leader – also criticized former President Trump and told the network he would not be voting again for the former president, adding “that’s for goddamn sure.”

“This guy is so full of himself that he would overturn every kind of rule of law or Constitutional process because of his own ego, which is twisted,” Simpson told NBC News, calling Trump a “spoiled brat.” 

Trump has targeted Cheney, the vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, for her vocal criticism of him, her participation on the House panel and her vote to impeach him following the attack at the Capitol.

The hearings, the latest of which will take place on Tuesday, has painted a picture of how Trump and his allies have sought to pressure officials to overturn the 2020 election results. The former president has frequently criticized the evidence and testimony provided by those hearings on his Truth Social platform.

Cheney faces Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman in the Wyoming Republican primary, and her race is seen as a test of how much influence Trump will have over the primary. 

But not all Republicans are sticking with Trump after the attack, including Simpson, who dubbed the former president’s remarks of “Stop the Steal” as “Stop the Squeal” in his interview to NBC News and said Trump was “at the root” of a “Machiavellian distortion of whatever this country stands for.”

Simpson also appeared in a campaign ad for Cheney, in which he urged Wyoming voters to “Join me in voting for Liz Cheney on August 16th.”

The Hill has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment. 

—Updated at 1:19 p.m.