Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has blamed her own party for enabling “white nationalism” in the United States after a shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old, killed 10 people and injured three at a grocery store in Buffalo on Saturday. Most of the victims were black and Gendron is believed to be a white nationalist.
“The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism,” Cheney said in a tweet Monday.
“History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them,” she added.
While Cheney did not specify who she was tweeting about, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York has been mentioned in the news.
The Washington Post described Stefanik as “echoing the racist ‘great replacement’ theory” that Gendron allegedly referenced in a manifesto.
As pointed out by Fox News, Rep. Adam Kinzinger accused Stefanik of promoting the theory in a tweet Saturday. He also shared a Newsweek article about criticism aimed at Stefanik’s Facebook ads.
“Did you know: @EliseStefanik pushes white replacement theory? The #3 in the house GOP. @Liz_Cheney got removed for demanding truth. @GOPLeader should be asked about this,” he said.
Stefanik shared a statement from her team Monday, saying “Any implication or attempt to blame the heinous shooting in Buffalo on the Congresswoman is a new disgusting low for the Left, their Never Trump allies, and the sycophant stenographers in the media”.
“The shooting was an act of evil and the criminal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Despite sickening and false reporting, Congresswoman Stefanik has never advocated for any racist position or made a racist statement,” it said.