Dick Cheney, former vice president under George W. Bush, may have been one of the U.S.’s most hated politicians. As a major architect of the War on Terror and its fallout in the U.S. and abroad, Cheney drew criticism from both sides of the aisle. Dick’s daughter Liz Cheney has also proved to be a lightning rod in U.S. politics, albeit for different reasons. The former Representative of Wyoming has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. Now, Trump ally and world’s richest man Elon Musk is drawing stern words from Liz Cheney as well.
Liz Cheney Pushes Back Against Elon Musk
The constitutional crisis created by Musk’s takeover of the federal purse may have upset Liz Cheney, but it was Musk’s support of an X post critical of the former Wyoming Rep that sealed the deal. In his post, Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation For Freedom Online, pointed the finger at Cheney. For what exactly? Her role in Trump’s impeachment and the arrests of the January 6 insurrectionists. She was “spawned out of USAID,” according to Benz. Elon shared Benz’s post, saying only, “Interesting.”
There’s no debate that Liz Cheney served as a USAID officer in U.S. embassies in Budapest and Warsaw. Still, it’s clear from Cheney’s statement that she stands by the decision. In her response to Musk, Cheney wrote,
Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.
It’s a testament to how much the U.S. political landscape has shifted that even fighting Communism, a favorite boogieman in American propaganda, is now grounds for attacks from Musk and his fellow reactionaries. USAID has been a critical part of the U.S.’s soft power approach to creating international goodwill and destabilizing the influence of its rivals. Now, even that core aspect of the American imperial project is under fire. Given the nation’s current trajectory, this probably won’t be the last clash between Liz Cheney and Elon Musk.
