There is no clearer indication that GOP leadership has completely surrendered the caucus to the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene than House Minority Whip Steve Scalise’s joining Trump in publicly pushing to replace Liz Cheney with Elise Stefanik, a noted conspiracy theorist who pushed the lie that led to people losing their lives during the January 6 insurrection.

“Did we need to know any more about the state of the Republican Party than the fact that GOP leadership is punishing Liz Cheney for telling the truth about 2020 and attempting to replace her with another student of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s conspiracy school? McCarthy has done more to hold Cheney accountable for telling the truth than he has about Greene’s conspiracy theories or Matt Gaetz’s alleged underage sex trafficking. While the Republican Party is a dumpster fire, President Biden is delivering on his promises and getting the country back on track.” – DNC spokesperson Ammar Moussa

Steve Scalise joined Trump in pushing to replace Cheney with Elise Stefanik, who has peddled the same conspiracy theories that Trump did, which ultimately led to an attack on the United States Capitol and people losing their lives

• Syracuse.com Editorial Board: “Hours after pro-Trump demonstrators broke into the U.S. Capitol, forcing lawmakers into hiding, North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik and more than 100 other House Republicans kept up the lie of voter fraud that brought the insurrectionists there in the first place. Stefanik and the others voted against accepting the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden in a handful of swing states. It is a roll call of dishonor. They persist in questioning the integrity of the results, despite multiple recounts, 60-plus failed lawsuits and evidence President Donald Trump tried to strong-arm elections officials in Georgia to alter the count in his favor. Biden won the popular vote by 7 million votes and the Electoral College by the same margin Trump did in 2016.”

• Punchbowl News: “BREAKING: Trump is backing @EliseStefanik’s bid for House Republican Conference chair.”

• Associated Press: “The No. 2 House Republican publicly called Wednesday for the removal of Rep. Liz Cheney from the party’s leadership, adding momentum to the drive to topple her after she clashed repeatedly with former President Donald Trump. Rep. Steve Scalise, the House GOP whip, is backing New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik for Cheney’s post, said Scalise spokesperson Lauren Fine.”

Kevin McCarthy has fully lost control of his caucus and is now willfully handing over power to extremists and conspiracy theorists:

• Washington Post’s Paul Waldman: “In that, McCarthy is a perfect congressional leader for this period in the Republican Party’s history. Unlike his Democratic counterpart, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), he does not rule his caucus with an iron fist, imposing order and keeping everyone moving in the direction he sets. His far-right members know they can push him around.”

• Daily Beast: “Kevin McCarthy’s Strategy to Rein In GOP Extremists: Don’t. The House Republican leader has taken a hands-off approach as his conference moves further to the, uh, right.”