liz cheney
Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2021.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
  • 'Here's a sound bite for you: Bring it,' Liz Cheney said after Trump endorsed a primary challenger.
  • Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman, a former RNC committeewoman for Wyoming, to take on Cheney.
  • Trump claimed that Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis also supports Hageman, but Lummis said she'd not endorsed any candidate.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

After former President Donald Trump endorsed a primary challenger to Republican Rep. Liz Cheney on Thursday, the Wyoming congresswoman made clear that she was unfazed: "Here's a sound bite for you: Bring it," she wrote on Twitter.

In his endorsement of Harriet Hageman – an attorney who served as the state's RNC committeewoman until two days ago – Trump called Cheney a "warmonger and disloyal Republican" while labeling her "the Democrats number one provider of sound bites."

The former president's endorsement is expected to clear the Republican primary field against Cheney – a staunch critic of Trump and the vice chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump in January on charges of inciting an insurrection, and lost her leadership post in the GOP caucus earlier this year after she remained outspoken in her belief that Trump should not play a role in party's future.

In a longer statement Thursday, Cheney expanded. "I look forward to an extended public debate about the importance of the rule of law and the solemn duty of elected officials to uphold their oath to the constitution," she said, denouncing her opponents for failing to do the same "out of fear."

In his endorsement of Hageman, Trump claimed that she had the support of Republican Cynthia Lummis, the state's junior senator. However, Lummis denied she had endorsed any candidate in the race in a statement issued through a spokesman on Thursday.

"Senator Lummis has known Harriet Hageman for decades, and has always considered her a dedicated supporter of our Wyoming way of life, a defender of our state's values, and a friend," she said. "While Senator Lummis is not making an endorsement at this time, she believes President Trump has made an inspired choice in backing Harriet Hageman."

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