Liz Cheney: Fighting past wrongs not first duty of elected officials, particularly women

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Thursday that the first duty of elected officials, particularly women in government, is to the Constitution, not righting the wrongs of past generations.

“I think that all of us as elected officials and particularly as women who are elected officials, we have an obligation to the Constitution,” Cheney told “Fox & Friends,” when asked if she thought women in Congress had a special obligation to give Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations that Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more weight because of how men have traditionally behaved toward women.

Senators on Thursday are reviewing an FBI report regarding the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, all of which he has denied.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed confidence that Kavanaugh will be confirmed this week, though three key senators have said that the FBI report will factor heavily into their decision. Two of those senators, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (D-Alaska), are women.

{mosads}Cheney, a longtime friend of the Kavanaugh’s, also suggested that the women on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are all Democrats, have broken their duty to the Constitution by giving Ford’s allegations more weight than they deserve.

“I think if you look, frankly, at the female senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee, they’ve abrogated their constitutional obligation,” Cheney said.

In particular, Cheney took aim at Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) who brought Ford’s allegations onto the national stage when she announced one week before Kavanaugh’s originally scheduled confirmation vote that she was bringing the then-secret allegations to the FBI. 

Feinstein had the allegation since July.

Cheney said that timing made the Democrats’ statements that they were acting in the defense of women who have been victims of sexual assault disingenuous. 

“When you’ve got women in the Senate, the Democrats who are saying, they’re helping to stand up for victims,” Cheney told Fox News. “And you watch what they did, you look at how Dianne Feinstein handled this claim, it could have been handled confidentially but that wouldn’t have created the media circus they need…to attempt to destroy Judge Kavanaugh.”

“It’s evil and I think we oughta all make sure we stand up and say we’re not going to be a part of this, we’re gonna put a stop to it,” Cheney said.

“We’re gonna make sure there’s due process.”