Cheney: Republicans voted against Trump impeachment out of fear for their lives

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney has said that several GOP members of Congress had voted against impeaching Donald Trump out of fear for their own lives.

"If you look at the vote to impeach, for example, there were members who told me that they were afraid for their own security -- afraid, in some instances, for their lives," the Wyoming member of the House of Representatives told CNN on Friday. 

"And that tells you something about where we are as a country, that members of Congress aren't able to cast votes, or feel that they can't, because of their own security,” she added.

Trump was impeached by the House a historic second time for the instigation of the January storming of US Capitol.

On January 6, Trump incited his own supporters, including members of Proud Boys, to storm the Capitol building, where lawmakers were in the process of confirming President-elect Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.

Cheney, the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to hold Trump accountable for the Capitol violence.

Cheney 'regrets' voting for Trump

In another interview which would be aired on Sunday on ABC News, Cheney said she regrets voting for Trump during the 2020 election, which Trump claims was stolen from him by Joe Biden, the current US president.

Cheney made the remarks days after she was removed from House GOP leadership over her criticism of Trump's voter fraud claims.

“I was never going to support Joe Biden and I do regret the vote,” Cheney said.

"It was a vote based on policy, based on substance and in terms of the kinds of policies he put forward that were good for the country. But I think it's fair to say that I regret the vote,” Cheney said.

She has refuted Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen, in turn sparking fierce backlash from Trump, who advocated for Cheney to be removed from her leadership position in the House.

On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers dumped Cheney from her House leadership post, underscoring the hold the twice-impeached former president retains on his party.

US lawmakers agree on 9/11-type commission to probe Jan. 6 attack

The US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee will conduct an independent commission to investigate the January 6 storming of US Capitol.

Cheney has said she will do "everything" in her power to keep Trump from winning the presidency should he decide to run again in 2024.

“I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,” she said this week. “We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the Constitution. And I think it's very important that we make sure whomever we elect is somebody that will be faithful to the Constitution.”

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