By William J. Furney
Leading Republican Dick Cheney, vice president in the George W. Bush administration, says he is switching party for this year’s presidential election and voting for Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.
Cheney said Donald Trump, Harris’ opponent in November’s vote, attempted to steal the previous election, which Joe Biden won, and could not be trusted.
In a statement provided to media outlets on Friday, Cheney said: “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.
“He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him,” he said, adding that Trump “can never be trusted with power again”.
Cheney was referring to the events of January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol as Congress was certifying Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Some erected a gallows and chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” Trump’s vice president who in his capacity as president of the Senate refused to nullify the election results.
Trump has been indicted for his alleged involvement in the siege at the heart of American democracy, by urging his supporters to protest at the Capitol, and also by taking legal action in courts around the country. He denies the charges and says they are a “politically motivated witch hunt” by Democrats trying to thwart his return to the White House.
Cheney added in his statement that “[a]s citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Cheney’s daughter Liz, an outspoken Trump critic and former congresswoman said she also plans to vote for Harris. In a speech at Duke University in North Carolina, she said Trump was a “danger” to the United States.
“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Writing later on X, she said that the “framers of our Constitution knew that our republic would endure only if our presidents have the character and honour to put duty ahead of self interest. President Biden deserves our gratitude for his decades of service to our nation and for his courageous decision today.”
Harris and Trump are to have their first encounter next week, in a presidential debate on September 10 on ABC News. Top voter concerns include the economy and rising cost of living, immigration along the southern border with Mexico and foreign policies relating to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
Harris is currently leading Trump in nationwide polling among registered voters, at 47.3 percent to 44.2 percent, according to an average of various polls compiled by the 538 polling site.
* Image credit: Reuters