Cheney says a lot of GOP lawmakers have privately encouraged her fight against Trump

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) in a new interview said a number of GOP lawmakers have privately encouraged her high-profile fight against former President Trump.

Cheney - during an interview with Lesley Stahl on CBS's "60 Minutes" that is airing on Sunday - said GOP senators and House members have secretly encouraged her anti-Trump efforts.

"Have members of Congress, Republicans, come up to you privately and whispered in your ear, 'Way to go, Liz' and encouraged you but won't come forward and say that publicly?" Stahl asked Cheney.

When asked if "a lot" of lawmakers have taken part in such encouragement, Cheney replied, "Yes," adding, "Both in the House and the Senate."

When pressed on why Republican members who support her actions refuse to do so publicly, Cheney pointed to the notion that GOP lawmakers would be in "political peril" for going against the former president, an idea that she called a "self-fulfilling prophecy."

"The argument that you often hear is that if you do something that is perceived as against Trump that, you know, you'll put yourself in political peril," Cheney said.

"And that's a self-fulfilling prophecy because if Republican leaders don't stand up and condemn what happened then, the voices in the party that are so dangerous will only get louder and stronger," she added.

Cheney broke from the Republican Party and voted for Trump's impeachment in January following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. She has also publicly opposed the former president's claims that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud.

The Republican Party in May voted to oust Cheney from her leadership position, a rebuke for her staunch opposition to Trump's claim that the November election was stolen.

She further distanced herself from the GOP when she accepted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) offer to join the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Cheney is currently embroiled in a tough reelection bid as Trump-allied Republicans seek to oust her in the primary. Trump earlier this month endorsed one of her challengers, Wyoming attorney Harriet Hageman.