Liz Cheney campaigns with Harris and condemns Trump's 'depraved cruelty' | News about the 2024 US election

Republican Liz Cheney has campaigned with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, urging voters across the United States to reject the “depraved cruelty” of her rival, former President Donald Trump.

“I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cheney said Thursday at an event in the swing state of Wisconsin.

“Putting patriotism above partisanship is not a goal. It is our duty.”

Her appearance with Harris took place in the small community of Ripon, where the Republican Party was founded in 1854.

When Harris spoke afterwards, she thanked Cheney and said she stood in the “finest tradition” of Republican Party leaders.

“She possesses some of the traits that I respect most in any individual and any leader – courage, especially in a moment like this,” Harris said. “When there are so many powerful forces trying to demean and belittle people and instill fear in them.”

Former Vice President also supports Democrats

The appearance by Cheney, 58, and Harris, 59, came a month after the former congresswoman from Wyoming said she and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, would support Harris over Trump.

“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only will I not vote for Donald Trump, but I will vote for Kamala . “Harris,” she said in remarks on Sept. 4.

On Thursday, Cheney reiterated her concerns about Trump, the de facto leader of the Republican Party, and fully supported Harris.

“Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to public service. I know she loves our country and I know she will be a president for all Americans. As a conservative, as a patriot, as a mother, as someone who respects our Constitution, I am honored to join her in this urgent cause,” she said.

Cheney also specifically referred to Trump's attempts to sow doubts about the integrity of the US elections.

After the 2020 presidential campaign, Trump refused to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, instead claiming widespread voter fraud had “rigged” the results – a false claim.

“As we meet here today, our republic faces a threat like never before: a former president who sought to stay in power by destroying the foundations of our republic by refusing to accept the lawful results, that have been upheld by dozens of courts in the 2020 election,” Cheney said.

“Reject depraved cruelty”

Cheney's visit to Wisconsin came a day after a federal judge unsealed a 165-page court filing outlining new evidence against Trump in a case accusing him of election interference in 2020.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction.

Speaking to voters on Thursday, Cheney condemned Trump's character as unpresidential. “I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand with the truth and reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump, and instead I ask you to help us elect Kamala Harris as President.”

During her congressional career from 2017 to 2023, Cheney rose to become the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House until she angered Trump and was pushed out of her leadership role.

Cheney was one of ten Republican congressmen who voted to impeach Trump in 2021.

The move came days after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as part of an alleged attempt to prevent the certification of Biden's victory.

She was also the top Republican on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump vowed revenge against those who spoke out against him, and in the summer of 2022, Cheney lost her primary in Wyoming to a challenger who had Trump's support.

There was no immediate reaction from Trump to Thursday's rally.

Wisconsin is one of the few battleground states previously won by just a few thousand votes.

A New York Times poll currently gives Harris a two-point lead in the state.