- RAWSTORY.COM - Raw Story - 16/07/2024 12:53

'No longer the party of Lincoln': Liz Cheney comes out swinging at Trump VP pick Vance

Add another name to the growing list of Republicans outraged by former President Donald Trump's newly announced running mate: Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).Cheney on Tuesday morning joined a cacophony of conservative calls condemning Trump's chosen vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH.)"Vance has pledged he would do what Mike Pence wouldn’t - overturn an election and illegally seize power," Cheney told X followers. "The Trump GOP is no longer the party of Lincoln, Reagan or the Constitution."In condemning Vance, Cheney joins a hoard of MAGA supporters who argued Monday that Vance, who once described himself as a "never Trump guy" and Trump as "America's Hitler," was a poor pick, but for very different reasons. While MAGA conservatives fear Vance's loyalty only stretches so far as personal political gain, Cheney raised concerns about the damage he could do to American institutions and relationships abroad in pursuit of his own advancement. "He says the president can ignore the rulings of our courts," wrote Cheney. "He would capitulate to Russia and sacrifice the freedom of our allies in Ukraine. EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s ‘secretary of retribution’ has a ‘target list’ of 350 people he wants arrestedCheney also shared her response to Vance's interview with ABC News in February, during which he told George Stephanopoulos it was "ridiculous" to question him about respecting election results and argued presidents can ignore some Supreme Court rulings. "Vance also admitted he would have done what VP Pence refused to do on January 6th—help Trump illegally seize power," Cheney wrote at the time. "That’s tyranny. Neither Trump nor Vance is fit to serve."Other conservatives who have come out against Vance include the political action group the Lincoln Project, founded in opposition to Trump in 2019, which also raised concerns about his platform. "Vance is against no-fault divorce, supports a national abortion ban, and voted against IVF access," the group warned. "He wants the government in people's lives and dictating decisions they can make for themselves, their health, and their families."ALSO READ: ‘Creepy weirdos’: Senator fears Trump WH staff would destroy government from ‘inside’Despite a plethora of pleas to keep a close watch on Vance, Cheney's was met with outrage from Trump's MAGA followers such as commentator Joey Mannarino."You’re nothing," Mannarino wrote to Cheney. "You are scum. You align with the parasites of society. You are not an American and I denounce you and all that has ever emanated from you."But she also gained support from followers who include former Central Intelligence Agency member John Sipher, an expert in American foreign policy and national security, who described Vance in his reply as, "A megalomaniac shape-shifter."