前美国众议员利兹·切尼恳求新大学毕业生在真相面前不要妥协，严厉批评她的众议院共和党同事没有做足够的工作来打击前总统唐纳德·特朗普这意味着2020年选举被偷了。
在科罗拉多学院的毕业典礼上，这位怀俄明州的共和党人重复了她对特朗普的激烈批评，但回避谈论他2024年的连任竞选或她自己的政治未来。
切尼于1988年从科罗拉多学院毕业，他回忆说，当时他是一名政治科学学生，走进一所校园建筑，在入口上方刻有一句圣经诗句，写道:“你们应当知道真理，真理将使你们自由。”
“在2020年大选和1月6日的袭击之后，我的共和党同僚希望我撒谎。他们想让我说2020年的选举被偷了，1月6日的袭击不是什么大事，唐纳德·特朗普也不危险，”切尼周日在科罗拉多斯普林斯说，将她学生时代的经历与她在美国众议院的工作联系起来。"我不得不在撒谎和丢掉众议院领导职位之间做出选择。"
在三个任期内，切尼升至众议院共和党第三号领导职位，在投票弹劾特朗普于2021年1月6日在国会大厦起义后，她失去了这份工作，然后她没有放松对前总统的批评。
切尼的演讲触及了与她自1月份离任以来所宣传的相似之处:阐述她在众议院委员会调查2021年1月6日美国国会大厦袭击事件的工作，以及勇敢面对她认为川普对民主构成的威胁。她还鼓励更多女性竞选公职，并抨击了2020年大选后为特朗普工作的一名否认选举的律师，因为他最近发表了关于大学生投票的言论。
切尼说:“克莱塔·米切尔(Cleta Mitchell)是一名选举否认者，也是前总统特朗普的顾问，他最近告诉共和党人，确保大学生不投票至关重要。”。“那些试图破坏我们共和国基础的人，那些威胁法治和我们选举神圣性的人，知道如果你投票，他们不会得逞。”
据《华盛顿邮报》报道，在米切尔最近在共和党全国委员会务虚会上的发言录音中，她警告说，大学校园的投票站和投票的容易性是潜在的问题。
大多数学生和家长在观众中鼓掌通过切尼的讲话，但有些人发出嘘声。一些反对选择切尼作为演讲人的学生在她演讲时把他们的椅子从台上移开。
切尼繁忙的演讲日程和主题引发了人们对她离任后是否会参加2024年共和党总统初选的猜测。从佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯到前南卡罗来纳州州长妮基·黑利等候选人都调整了对特朗普的言论，旨在反击特朗普的攻击，同时不疏远七年前为他赢得白宫的支持者。
尽管一些人提出了有分寸的批评，但没有一个公开或潜在的挑战者像切尼一样接受反特朗普的信息。她周日没有提及她的计划，但此前曾表示，她仍未决定是否要竞选总统。
尽管她将面临一场艰苦的战斗，但切尼激烈的反特朗普立场和她作为众议院委员会副主席的角色，使她的平台足够高，可以呼吁全国捐助者和特朗普批评者网络支持白宫竞选。
一个为支持她的候选人资格而组织的超级政治行动委员会一直保持活跃，包括本月在新罕布什尔州的电视频道上购买攻击特朗普的广告。
在离任后，被特朗普支持的共和党人取代，该共和党人在去年的初选中击败了她，切尼被任命为弗吉尼亚大学的教授，并撰写了《誓言与荣誉》(Oath and Honor)，这本回忆录定于11月上架。
切尼的五个孩子中有两个和她的母亲都是文理学院的毕业生。
切尼的巡回演讲似乎正在加速。她定于周四在密歇根州的麦基诺政策会议上露面。
Liz Cheney urges graduates not to compromise with the truth in commencement speech
Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., waves before delivering the commencement address at Colorado College, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
The Associated Press
Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney implored new college graduates to not compromise when it comes to the truth, excoriating her House Republican colleagues for not doing enough to combat former PresidentDonald Trump’s lies that the 2020electionwas stolen.
In a commencement speech at Colorado College, the Wyoming Republican repeated her fierce criticisms of Trump but steered clear of talking about his 2024 reelection campaign or her own political future.
Cheney, who graduated from Colorado College in 1988, recalled being a political science student walking into a campus building where a Bible verse was inscribed above the entrance that read, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
“After the 2020 election and the attack of January 6th, my fellow Republicans wanted me to lie. They wanted me to say the 2020 election was stolen, the attack of January 6th wasn’t a big deal, and Donald Trump wasn’t dangerous," Cheney said Sunday in Colorado Springs, connecting her experiences as a student to her work in the U.S. House of Representatives. “I had to choose between lying and losing my position in House leadership."
In three terms in office, Cheney rose to the No. 3 GOP leadership position in the House, a job she lost after voting to impeach Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol and then not relenting in her criticism of the former president.
Cheney's speech touched on themessimilar to those she has promoted since leaving office in January: addressing her work on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and standing up to the threat she believes Trump poses to democracy. She also encouraged more women to run for office and blasted one of the election-denying attorneys who worked for Trump after the 2020 election for recent remarks about college students voting.
“ Cleta Mitchell, an election denier and adviser to former President Trump, told a gathering of Republicans recently that it is crucially important to make sure that college students don’t vote," Cheney said. “Those who are trying to unravel the foundations of our republic, who are threatening the rule of law and the sanctity of our elections, know they can’t succeed if you vote.”
In an audio recording of Mitchell's presentation from a recent Republican National Committee retreat, she warns of polling places on college campuses and the ease of voting as potential problems, the Washington Post reported.
Most students and parents in the audience applauded throughout Cheney's remarks, yet some booed. Some students opposing the choice of Cheney as speaker turned their chairs away from the stage as she spoke.
Cheney's busy speaking schedule and subject matter have fueled speculation about whether she may enter the 2024 GOP presidential primary since she left office. Candidates ranging from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have calibrated their remarks about Trump, aiming to counter his attacks without alienating the supporters that won him the White House seven years ago.
Though some have offered measured criticisms, no declared or potential challenger has embraced anti-Trump messaging to the same extent as Cheney. She did not reference her plans on Sunday but has previously said she remains undecided about whether she wants to run for president.
Though she would face an uphill battle, Cheney's fierce anti-Trump stance and her role as vice chairwoman of the House committee elevated her platform high enough to call on a national network of donors and Trump critics to support a White House run.
A super PAC organized to support of her candidacy has remained active, including purchasing attack ads on New Hampshire airwaves against Trump this month.
After leaving office and being replaced by a Trump-backed Republican who defeated her in last year's primary, Cheney was appointed to a professorship at the University of Virginia and wrote "Oath and Honor,” a memoir scheduled to hit shelves in November.
Two of Cheney's five children as well as her mother are also graduates of the liberal arts college.
Cheney's speaking tour appears to be picking up. She is scheduled to appear Thursday at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan.
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Metz reported from Salt Lake City.
