- A new email revealed by Politico shows how much Liz Cheney's standing in Trumpworld has changed.
- Kimberly Guilfoyle praised Cheney's "tremendous support of President Trump" in an April 2020 email.
- Now, the two find themselves on opposite ends of the select committee investigating the January 6 attacks.
Kimberly Guilfoyle — the fiancé of Donald Trump Jr., a former Fox News personality, and a Trump 2020 campaign aide — previously praised Rep. Liz Cheney for her strong support of then-President Donald Trump.
In an April 2020 email reported on Thursday by Politico, Guilfoyle thanked the Wyoming Republican for making a $10,000 contribution to Trump's reelection effort.
"I wanted to start off by saying a big thank you for your $10,000 contribution to DJTFP and for your continued support for the President. I apologize for not being able to join the call yesterday with you and our RNC Co-Chair, Tommy Hicks," Guilfoyle wrote in the April 30 email. "Please do not hesitate to reach out if you do need anything!"
She continued: "We are thrilled that you have agreed to serve as a Trump Victory Finance Committee (TVFC) Congressional Co-Captain. You were hand selected for this role because of your tremendous support of President Trump, and your leadership and respect among your GOP colleagues."
Guilfoyle went on to say Cheney's involvement would be "critical" to ensuring Trump's victory in November, while asking the Wyoming Republican to raise "at least $60,000 by August 20, 2020." The rest of the email described the requirements of Cheney's role as a "Congressional Captain" for the campaign, including overseeing outreach to Republican congressional colleagues in nine western states.
"Thank you and I look forward to working with you over the next seven months to re-elect President Donald J. Trump," wrote Guilfoyle, then-the national chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee.
It's a far cry from where the two Republicans stand now.
As the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol was underway, Cheney reportedly said she wanted to "impeach the son of a bitch," referring to Trump's role in the riot, surprising some of her Democratic colleagues. Cheney, along with nine other House Republicans, later voted to impeach Trump on a charge of "incitement of insurrection."
Trump, as a result, has heavily attacked Cheney and is determined to oust her from Congress, endorsing her primary challenger Harriet Hageman, an attorney and former Republican National Committee member. The Wyoming Republican primary takes place on August 16.
Congressional Republicans also later rebuked Cheney because of her continued pushback on Trump's false 2020 election claims and her insistence that he shouldn't be the leader of the party. Last May, she lost her leadership position in the House Republican Conference to Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.
In the days before her May 12, 2021 ouster, Guilfoyle shared an article on Twitter arguing that Cheney's criticism was distracting from the party's goal of taking on Democrats.
—Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) May 5, 2021
Cheney went on to serve as one of just two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. The panel issued a subpoena to Guilfoyle in May after she backed out of a prior meeting with the committee because, according to her, "members notorious for leaking information appeared" without her prior knowledge.
"Ms. Guilfoyle met with Donald Trump inside the White House, spoke at the rally that took place before the riot on January 6th, and apparently played a key role organizing and raising funds for that event," committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a statement at the time.
"Because Ms. Guilfoyle backed out of her original commitment to provide a voluntary interview, we are issuing today's subpoena that will compel her to testify. We expect her to comply with the law and cooperate," he added.
The committee had already obtained her phone records through subpoenas to communications companies.
The Washington Post reported this week that Guilfoyle was paid $60,000 for her 146-second speech at the Ellipse on January 6. Publix Heiress Julie Fancelli reportedly paid Guilfoyle via Turning Point Action, a conservative advocacy group.
