As the search for insurrectionists widens its scope, conservatives are right to think Cheney and Kinzinger ought to be expelled from the Republican caucus. Most Americans recoil from calls for political purges. Despite that, Republicans are contemplating just such a measure over the conduct of two members of their House caucus. The participation of Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger in the Jan. 6 Committee convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has led many conservatives, both in the House and out of it, to demand their ouster from the GOP conference.
Although it might not have been her intent, Cheney just gave Republicans a compelling reason to expel her from the party. When Rep. Jim Banks, R- Ind., wrote to the Department of the Interior demanding that, as the person appointed by the Republican Conference to be the ranking minority member of the Jan. 6 Committee, he be given all copies of any information they give to the body, Cheney spoke on the floor of the House claiming his assertion was incorrect.
Cheney claims that since Pelosi named her to be the vice-chair of the committee, she is the ranking member. But that assertion merely confirms she is operating not merely independently of the GOP caucus but as an..........