In a draft of the petition, which was obtained by CNN, conservatives are calling on Cheney for a special meeting “to discuss a resolution on your leadership.” The petition is still in draft form.
While the petition is garnering support, signing onto the petition means members back holding the special meeting. Under House Republican conference rules, you need 20% of the conference or 43 members to sign onto a petition like this in order to hold a special meeting. Signing onto the petition to hold the meeting is not the same as saying members are willing to vote to oust Cheney right now. In any meeting, the members would have to vote separately on the resolution asking her to step down.
The effort to actually oust Cheney continues to be viewed as a long shot by GOP aides watching the process. While it is expected the conference may have to hold a special meeting on the topic, actually ousting Cheney is much harder. The conference would have to vote on a resolution asking her to step down and a majority would have to back it, something that aides don’t expect is possible right now.
“There is angst, but I don’t think they get there,” one Republican aide told CNN on the condition of background to freely discuss the issue.
Part of the obstacle for conservatives is that that leadership is not currently backing the effort. A spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told CNN that the California Republican did not back efforts to oust Cheney.
“At some point there is going to have to be a conversation about whether we are going to have this civil war or not in the Republican Party,” the GOP aide said. “The cumulative effect of all of this is not helpful. I think at some point you get to a mutually assured destruction posture and people just stand down.”
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