Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) Michael Steele contrasted Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Friday, saying Cheney “has more bonafides in her left pinky” than Matt Gaetz “could ever amass.”
Steele joined host Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” and discussed the fighting within the Republican party, and as well as the fringe figures that have arisen in the wake of President Donald Trump’s term. (RELATED: ‘Act Crazy, Tolerate Crazy, Be Crazy, Or Get Crushed’: MSNBC Guest Says The Republican ‘Party Is On Fire’)
Mitchell began by asking Steele about Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush’s allegation that Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had “berated” her. Greene has received criticism for her past association with QAnon, as well as for liking Facebook posts that suggested the execution of members of Congress. She addressed the latter issue with a statement on Twitter and has also responded to Bush’s allegation, saying it was actually Bush who berated her.
A maskless Marjorie Taylor Greene & her staff berated me in a hallway. She targeted me & others on social media.
I’m moving my office away from hers for my team’s safety.
I’ve called for the expulsion of members who incited the insurrection from Day 1. Bring H.Res 25 to a vote.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 29, 2021
Gaetz has been an outspoken critic of Cheney after she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
“They’ve got a Matt Gaetz and a Marjorie Taylor Greene problem. They’re two sides of the same crazy for the GOP that they can’t manage, they can’t control,” Steele said. “They’ve let the genie out of the bottle, they’ve opened Pandora’s box, whatever example or metaphor you want to use. The GOP is stuck in this space.”
Steele continued, arguing the country wants “accountability” for Jan. 6 but they are “not getting it from this Republican leadership, or members of the party.”
“And for those members like a Mitt Romney or a Liz Cheney who do the right thing and step into the moment with their leadership, this is the price they pay,” continued Steele. “They get the crazies coming after them. Matt Gaetz flying across the country to go after a fellow Republican who, by the way, has more bonafides in her left pinky than he could ever amass, and he’s going to try to take her down?”
Gaetz flew to Wyoming on Thursday at the invitation of some Republican state lawmakers in order to speak to an audience on Cheney’s impeachment vote. He criticized Cheney throughout the speech, accusing her of profiting off war in the Middle East, and calling her a “fake cowgirl.” Cheney has also faced calls from multiple Republican colleagues to remove her from her leadership position as the Republican Conference Chair.