McCarthy Endorses Rep. Elise Stefanik To Replace Rep. Liz Cheney As GOP Conference Chair

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said in an interview Sunday that he has endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) as Republican Conference chair and the number three Republican in the House.

“Yes, I do,” McCarthy said, when asked about endorsing Stefanik, then stating that House Republicans must oust Cheney in order to maintain unity against what he called “destructive policies” coming from House Democrats. The minority leader’s comments come days after he was caught on a hot mic denouncing Cheney.

“I think she’s got real problems,” McCarthy said on the hot mic. “I’ve had it with … I’ve had it with her. You know, I’ve lost confidence.… Well, someone just has to bring a motion, but I assume that will probably take place.”

Cheney herself has been increasingly outspoken against the GOP, recent penning an op-ed in the Washington Post saying that the party is at a turning point.

“Trump is seeking to unravel critical elements of our constitutional structure that make democracy work – confidence in the result of elections and the rule of law. No other American president has ever done this,” Cheney wrote in the Washington Post. “The Republican Party is at a turning point, and Republicans must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution.”