RNC on Friday to censure Kinzinger, Cheney, yes vote would allow group to fund Cheney challenger

The Republican National Committee is forging ahead this week with a resolution to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, though they will stop short of calling for their expulsion from the House GOP Conference.

The resolution cleared an RNC committee vote Thursday and will more than likely be approved by the full 168-member committee Friday at the organization's winter meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The censure follows Cheney and Kinzinger's participation the Democrat-controlled House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot. 

Harmeet Dhillon, the national committee person from California, told Politico that the censure vote strictly pertained to decision of the two lawmakers – each outspoke critics of former President Trump – to defy party leadership to serve on the select panel.

"There are plenty of other people in the party who are anti-Trump whose names don’t appear in the resolution. These two took specific action to defy party leadership," she said.

Cheney has said she will do whatever it takes to keep Trump out of office a second time.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has worked with group member and Trump-ally David Bossie to push the censure resolution.

"We’ve had two members engage in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse. This has gone beyond their original intent. They are not sticking up for hard-working Republicans," McDaniel said.  

While Kinzinger has opted to retire from the House, Cheney is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger in Wyoming. During the party meetings this week, leaders of the Wyoming GOP party quietly signed a special letter that will allow the national party to fund Cheney's challenger, Harriet Hageman. Cheney has so far out-raised Hageman by a considerable margin, roughly $4.5 million to $1 million.

"Wyoming Party Chairman Frank Eathorne and the Republican National Committee are trying to assert their will and take away the voice of the people of Wyoming before a single vote has even been cast," said a Cheney spokeswoman in response to the letter, which recognized Hageman as the presumptive nominee for the state's sole congressional seat.