Top conservative asks McCarthy to boot Cheney, Kinzinger from GOP conference

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is asking House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to boot fellow GOP Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) from the Republican conference for serving on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In a draft letter dated Sept. 2, Biggs asks McCarthy to consider a change to conference rules that would “immediately” remove members if they accept a committee assignment without a recommendation from the party.

“Congresswoman Cheney and Congressman Kinzinger are two spies for the Democrats that we currently invite to the meetings, despite our inability to trust them,” reads the letter, which was shared with The Hill. 

The letter was first reported by CNN.

The letter isn’t the first time conservatives have sought to punish the two Republicans for serving on the panel. The two lawmakers were the only Republicans to vote in favor of forming the committee.

In late July, Biggs sought to exile Cheney and Kinzinger behind closed door for joining the panel.

The letter comes as the committee ramps up its investigation into the events of Jan. 6. Over the past week, the panel has sought records from the Trump administration and 35 telecommunications and social media companies.

In his letter, Biggs said the weekly conference meetings are a chance for Republicans to plan their defense against Pelosi. 

“We cannot trust these Members to sit in our Republican Conference meetings while we plan our defense against the Democrats,” Biggs writes.

Maura Gillespie, a spokesperson for Kinzinger, told The Hill in a statement that “the American people deserve answers surrounding January 6th, and the non-partisan Select Committee to Investigate the Attack on the US Capitol is committed to uncovering the full truth and making those facts public.”

“When a Member makes repeated calls to remove Representatives Kinzinger and Cheney from the Conference, it certainly calls into question their true motives. Especially when that Member pushes conspiracy theories to their constituents and outright lies for their own personal gain,” Gillespie said.

The Hill has reached out to McCarthy’s and Cheney’s offices for comment.