Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney isn’t confident that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would back a peaceful transfer of power if Vice President Kamala Harris wins this year’s presidential election.
Asked if she believes Johnson would certify a Democratic victory come January, Cheney told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” Sunday, “I do not have faith that Mike Johnson will fulfill his constitutional obligations.”
The Wyoming Republican reminded viewers how the House speaker backed Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, despite his election interference claims repeatedly being debunked by multiple sources.
“He has a record of repeatedly doing things that he knows to be wrong, that he knows to be unconstitutional, in order to placate Donald Trump,” Cheney said of Johnson.
WATCH: Speaker Mike Johnson tells Meet the Press, he’s going to follow the Constitution and “everyone can sigh and take a deep breath, our system is going to work.”@Liz_Cheney responds that she does “not have faith” Speaker Johnson would certify the 2024 election. pic.twitter.com/1CldzE0EqA
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 13, 2024
Pointing to an interview Welker did with Johnson right before Cheney’s interview on “Meet the Press,” the politician said, “Frankly, you saw that sycophancy just now on display.”
Given conservatives’ weak promises, Cheney also told Welker she thinks Democrats must win a majority in Congress to ensure fair results.
“I think it’s very important that the Republicans not be in the majority in the House come January 2025,” she said.
During Johnson’s sit-down, he promised to certify a “free and fair and legal election,” still leaving room for his party to reject the results over spurious claims of voter fraud.
And in a separate Sunday interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” he outright said, “I think there is going to be some cheating in this election.”
Meanwhile, Trump is already priming supporters with excuses to refuse a potential election loss.
Last month, he told a group of North Carolina law enforcement officers that election meddling is the only thing that could stop him from a win. At another September event in Las Vegas, he said that he has a “good lead” across polls but warned that Democrats plan to “cheat like hell.”
