Peter Wehner worked in the George W. Bush administration. He knew Eliza Stefanik when she was moderate. Like others who knew her then, he’s embarrassed by her transformation into a Trump-like/bulldog.
Lust for power does strange things to people. Compare Stefanik and Liz Cheney: Stefanik abandoned all principles to serve Trump. Cheney gave up her powerful position and her political future by refusing to tolerate Trump’s attack on the Constitution and Trump’s lies. Cheney was the No. 3 Republican in the House before the failed coup; she was ousted by her colleagues and replaced by Stefanik.
Vener writes:
There was a time in 2016 when Elise Stefanik, now the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, was so disgusted by Donald Trump that barely mentioned his name. Today he proudly calls her “one of my killers.”
She proved it again last month. In an attempt to undermine the credibility of the special committee investigating the violent attack on the Capitol, Ms. Stefanik said, “This is a frivolous investigation. This is a partisan political witch hunt.” The committee, she said, is “illegitimate.” The hearing did not change her opinion. U mid Julyahead of the final session scheduled for the summer, she called the committee a “bogus” and said it was “much worse than parts one and two of the first and second parts of the witch-hunt impeachment.”
Ms. Stefanik may have continued to discredit the House committee because the evidence it obtained from Trump insiders — and the persuasive way in which that evidence was presented — was stunningly damaging to Mr. Trump, even if it did not prevent him from winning the Republican presidential nomination. third time in a row. Ms. Stefanik failed in her attempts to sabotage the committee, but not for lack of trying.
Ms. Stefanik’s loyalty to Mr. Trump is so great that some of his advisors mention her as a potential vice presidential candidate if he runs in 2024, something he and his advisers have been hinting at.
The transformation of Ms. Stefanik, who is 38 years old, is one of the most dramatic and significant in American politics. Her political conversion is a source of sadness and anger for several people I’ve spoken to who were colleagues of hers — as I was in the George W. Bush White House, though I didn’t work with her directly — and who, unlike me, were one day by her side. For them, Ms. Stefanik’s story is that of a man who betrayed his principles and his country in a maniacal pursuit of power.
