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Cheney will deliver pointed address tonight marking "the beginning of the battle" to confront Trump, aides say

From Jeff Zeleny 

In her remarks tonight from Wyoming, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney intends to make the case that she is at “the beginning of the battle,” advisers tell CNN, as she calls on Republicans, Democrats and independents to join her fight to protect democracy and the rule of law in America.

The congresswoman has been working on her speech intensely for the last several days, aides said, crafting what is described as a blunt message seeking to escalate warnings about the danger of misinformation and lies. Win or lose, aides said, she is expected to strike similar themes in hopes of quickly pivoting beyond her race with Harriet Hageman.

The speech, which will be delivered outdoors from a ranch near Jackson with the Tetons in the distance, is intended to be forward-looking and offer a roadmap for the next steps in her quest to try and keep former President Donald Trump from winning the White House again. 

While she will address some questions about the next chapter of her political ambitions — forming a super PAC to support like-minded conservative candidates, establishing a policy-oriented think tank — she is not expected to deliver a firm answer to whether she will run for President. But the speech is not intended to rule out the possibility, aides say.

Cheney has been working on her speech with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and her mother, Lynne Cheney, both of whom are expected to be in the audience tonight. Her mother has been battling cancer, but family friends say they are hopeful she will be able to attend.

She intends to speak shortly after the race is projected, aides said, mindful of a national audience for her speech.

Cheney will outline her plan to “stay in the fight” against Trump, advisers say, and intends to wear the outcome of the primary as a “badge of conviction.” 

On the eve of the election, Cheney held a dinner for staff members and close friends in Jackson, people familiar with the event said, where she outlined some of her plans. She made clear that she is not expecting a victory over Hageman tonight, telling friends that a resounding loss will show once and for all that Wyoming GOP values are no longer aligned with her own. 

Yet in recent days, friends say, she has been more focused on trying to narrow the margin of the race, hoping to show there is a market for her message to stop Trump.

It’s an open question, of course, whether that is true. But even if she falls short, aides say, she intends to keep her focus on the House Jan. 6 committee and hearings next month.