Liz Cheney alleges Donald Trump would 'unravel the rule of law' in second term

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., alleged in an interview Monday that former President Donald Trump would “unravel the rule of law” if he wins reelection and appoint aides to “blow through” the guardrails of the Constitution.

She told Fox News’ Bret Baier that she was fearful of a second Trump administration, pointing to his efforts to contest the 2020 election and response to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

“If you look at the steps that he would have to take in terms of simply refusing to enforce court orders or comply with court orders with which he disagrees – putting people in key positions as attorney general, for example,” she said. “Or as head of (the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel) unethical lawyers who would help him, frankly, blow through many of the guardrails of our Constitution.”

“I think it’s a very real concern that he would take steps very quickly that would unravel the rule of law,” she said.

Cheney, one of Trump's most vocal critics, served as vice chairman of the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack and voted to impeach Trump after the riot. In her book “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning,”  she criticized her former colleagues for being “enablers and collaborators” for the former president.

Trump has long been the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. And with the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary approaching, Cheney urged GOP voters not to choose Trump.

“Do not vote for the person who already tried to seize power,” she said.

The former president faces both state and federal charges alleging he tried to steal the 2020 election from President Joe Biden. He has denied the accusations, and trials in the cases could begin next year.