May 07, 2021 by Andrew Donovan
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSYR-TV) — Syracuse-area Congressman John Katko tells NewsChannel 9 that he “absolutely will support” Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, his Upstate New York colleague, if she’s a contender for Republican House Conference chair.
Stefanik is the apparent frontrunner, and endorsed by former President Donald Trump, to take the third highest-ranking Republican position in the House of Representatives away from Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
Cheney seems to be under attack by Republicans for her vote in favor of impeaching former President Trump, the same way Congressman Katko voted.
Friday, Katko said, “Liz is a good friend of mine and I supported her for conference chair after the impeachment. But if there is a vacancy that’s developed, I have every confidence that Elise will be a superb leader for all of our conference, not just some.”
Trump issued a statement giving his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement” to Stefanik.
Stefanik, a 36-year-old, representing Watertown and the North Country, has been a vocal and loyal advocate of Trump and served on his impeachment defense team.
Katko said, “Elise and I came in together and she knows me as well as she knows conservatives. She knows that I have a different type of district than a lot of the conservatives. I have the most liberal district in the country, and she knows that if we ever want to be back in control of the congress again, people like me have to win.”
Katko indicated he wasn’t sure any change in leadership is a done deal.
Cheney hasn’t given up, urging GOP colleagues to pry themselves from a Trump “cult of personality,” declaring that the party and even American democracy are at stake.
“History is watching,” she said in Washington Post editorial.
You can read this article in full here: https://www.localsyr.com/
