Score another one for Liz Cheney

Donald Trump likes to pretend that anyone who takes a stand against him does so simply out of hatred. By trying to frame his opponents’ and enemies’ statements and actions as mere ad hominem attacks, Trump aims to accomplish two goals: trying to mask the critical issues invariably justifying the criticism; and eliciting more pity as the supposed victim of a continuous, baseless smear campaign.

Rep. Liz Cheney, who famously broke ranks with the Republican Party to stand up against Trump, was not going to let Trump define her and her actions. On Thursday, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 individuals, including Cheney and the other leaders of the former Jan. 6 House Select Committee, for their “exemplary deeds of service.”

In a statement, the White House praised Cheney for having “raised her voice—and reached across the aisle—to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency.” Noting Cheney’s two decades of public service, the statement pointed out that “her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together.”

Trump responded on Friday by posting an attempt to frame the event as yet another example of empty Trump hatred. “Biden gave Liz Cheney a Medal yesterday, even though she has proven to be totally corrupt,” he wrote. Then, after criticizing Cheney for having “the distinction of losing her Congressional seat by the largest margin in History,” he then insisted that “Biden rewarded her only because she hated ‘TRUMP.’”

Cheney then wasted no time tearing down Trump’s lame attempt to dismiss her efforts and achievements as some personal vendetta. “Donald, this is not the Soviet Union,” she replied on X, asserting that Trump “can’t change the truth and… silence us.” She recounted Trump’s “lies about the voting machines, the election workers, [and] your countless allegations of fraud that never happened,” and reminded Americans how Trump’s own Vice President “prevented” him “from overturning our Republic.”

“We remember,” Cheney declared, as she called on Americans to reject Trump’s “latest malicious falsehoods” and serve as the “guardrails of our Constitutional Republic—to protect the America we love from you.” As Inauguration Day approaches in a couple of weeks, Cheney’s words could not be more relevant or urgent.

Ron Leshnower

Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month