Cheney: Johnson was ‘a collaborator’ in Trump’s effort to remain in power

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) claims that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was “a collaborator” in former President Trump’s efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election.

“If you look at what Donald Trump is trying to do, he can’t do it by himself. He has to have collaborators,” Cheney said in an interview on “CBS News Sunday Morning.” “And the story of Mike Johnson is a story of a collaborator.”

Cheney has previously argued that Johnson is “dangerous” and knew that his actions surrounding the 2020 election were wrong.

Johnson led an amicus brief supporting a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn results in several states after the election. He voted to object to the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Johnson won the Speakership on Oct. 25 following weeks of Republican chaos in the House.

The former Wyoming representative said Johnson knew what he was doing in supporting Trump’s attempts to overthrow the last election and “knows now that what he’s doing and saying is wrong.”

“He’s willing to do it in an effort to please Donald Trump, and that’s what makes it dangerous,” Cheney said in the interview set to air Sunday.

CBS reporter John Dickerson asked Cheney to confirm her assertion.

“The Speaker of the House is a collaborator to overthrow the last election?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she responded.

Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump, is releasing a book Tuesday titled “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning.” The book rebukes the modern Republican Party and dives into the Jan. 6 insurrection. Notably, Cheney was the vice chair of the House select committee that investigated the attack on the Capitol.

Cheney made a public exit from Congress last year after attacking her own party for supporting Trump. She lost her primary in August 2022.