House Republicans oust Cheney from leadership as she vows to stop Trump

Following the vote to oust Cheney, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik formally announced her bid for House Republican Conference Chair with a letter to her GOP colleagues asking for their vote.

She blamed the news media for dividing the Republican Party and vowed to regain the majority and "fire Speaker Pelosi once and for all."

The note comes amid growing concern among the conservative wing of the Republican Party that Stefanik, with a more moderate voting record than Cheney, is not conservative enough for the job.

Following the vote, Cheney told reporters that she did not feel betrayed by the vote and that she will keep on fighting to prevent former President Donald Trump from ever making his way back into the Oval Office. 

"We cannot embrace both the big lie and the Constitution," she said.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger spoke immediately after Cheney and said there was little speaking among members during the vote to remove Cheney.

He said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said this morning that the vote was about "unity."

Other Republicans leaving the meeting said the conference vote to replace Cheney will likely take place Friday.

A majority of House Republicans, in a voice vote, removed Cheney from her leadership position at a closed door meeting.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York is the front-runner to replace her, having the support of the former president and House GOP leadership.

Inside the closed-door meeting to oust Cheney from Republican leadership -- a monumental moment for the party -- a source familiar with her comments in the room said Cheney warned in her final speech to her colleagues not to let former President Donald Trump make he Republican Party "complicit in his efforts to unravel our democracy."

“I am going to take a moment of personal privilege and then we will have the prayer and pledge," she opned.

"I have tremendous affection and admiration for many of you in this room. I know we all came to Washington to do important work for the nation. History has chosen every single one of us. And history has put us here together at this moment of challenge for our country," she said. "Our nation needs this Republican Party as a strong party based on truth so we can shape the future."

"To do that, we must be true to our principles and to the Constitution. We cannot let the former president drag us backward and make us complicit in his efforts to unravel our democracy. Down that path lies our destruction, and potentially the destruction of our country," she said.

"If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person, you have plenty of others to choose from. That will be their legacy," she continued. "But I promise you this, after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln."

She then led the group in prayer.

“Dear God, fill us with a love of freedom and a reverence for all your gifts. Help us to understand the gravity of this moment. Help us to remember that democratic systems can fray and suddenly unravel. When they do, they are gone forever. Help us to speak the truth and remember the words of John 8:32 - 'Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.' May our world see the power of faith. May our nation know the strength of selfless service. And may our enemies continue to taste the inescapable force of freedom. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.”