George W. Bush made donations to two Republican congresswomen who voted to impeach Donald Trump over the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
The revelation comes via Politico, which reports that maximum allowable amounts were donated by Bush to Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) re-election campaigns late last year.
The outlet reports that while Bush has donated in the past to numerous Republican candidates, the $5,800 to Cheney and $2,900 to Murkowski appear to be his “first donations of 2021” and “are significant in their symbolism.”
Cheney and Murkowski are both facing primary challengers endorsed by former President Trump after they voted in favor of a second impeachment for his alleged role in inciting the Capitol riot.
George W. Bush’s Only 2021 Campaign Donations Were to Anti-Trump Republicans https://t.co/clVKLi0XUL
— PETER MAER (@petermaer) February 1, 2022
RELATED: George W. Bush To Headline Fundraiser For NeverTrumper Liz Cheney
Bush Vs. Trump
Liz Cheney is the daughter of Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, and as such, it may not come as much of a surprise that the former President donated to her campaign.
That said, FEC records show his contribution to Murkowski, long considered a more liberal Republican, marks the first of its kind.
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Trump endorsed Republican Kelly Tshibaka in the Alaska Republican primary against Murkowski, but also curiously lent support to Harriet Hageman, the Wyoming attorney running against Cheney.
Hageman tried to stop Trump from getting the Republican nomination in 2016, and called him “racist and xenophobic.”
NEW: A video from April 2016 shows Liz Cheney’s Trump-backed primary Harriet Hageman rebuking Trump and enthusiastically endorsing Cheney for Congress. Hageman even cites her own Trump opposition in her Cheney endorsement. https://t.co/W4YhR0yzxV pic.twitter.com/Cu3aBKsyWN
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) September 30, 2021
RELATED: Trump Slams George W. Bush And His ‘Flunky’ Karl Rove For Holding Liz Cheney Fundraiser
Headlines Cheney Fundraiser
Bush appeared at a fundraiser for Liz Cheney back in October, despite her only current platform being constant opposition and criticism of Donald Trump.
Along with the former President, attendees reportedly included former Bush advisors Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, and also former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Texas Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison.
SCOOP: Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is slated to have a fundraiser w/ President George W. Bush next month.
Signals Cheney is hugging Bush-world ties amid exile from the Trump-wing of the party.
Event will be held in Dallas on Oct. 18 w/ some other familiar names… Rove, Miers… pic.twitter.com/aDAKyUKmKO
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) September 22, 2021
Trump ripped Bush and Rove in a statement upon learning of the fundraiser.
“RINO former President George ‘Dubya’ Bush and his flunky Karl Rove are endorsing warmongering and very low polling, Liz Cheney,” the statement read.
Trump went on to say Bush’s ‘stupid’ actions in the Middle East resulted in decades-long wars with no clear objective and astronomical costs.
“Bush is the one who got us into the quicksand of the Middle East and, after spending trillions of dollars and killing nearly a million people, the Middle East was left in worse shape after 21 years than it was when he started his stupidity,” he said.
His foreign policy blunders culminated in a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan under the purview of President Biden in August.
President Trump on RINO former President George “Dubya” Bush. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/b11VpqDf5y
— Teresa AnnMarie (@TeresaFreeThink) September 23, 2021
Cheney has been a source of irritation for conservatives and supporters of Trump, preening for Democrats as a savior of the republic following the Capitol riot on January 6th.
“President Bush is impressed by Liz Cheney’s strength and vision, and he’s proud to support her,” a spokesman for Bush told CNBC in September.
The former President has also echoed Cheney in expressing outrage over the January 6th riot.
“It did make me sick. I felt ill. And I just couldn’t believe it,” Bush said. “What’s really troubling is how much misinformation there is and the capacity of people to spread all kinds of untruth.”
He even seemed to equate Trump supporters at the Capitol to Islamic extremists who carried out 9/11 – on the 20th anniversary of the attacks that took place when he was President.
Former President George W. Bush: “We have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home…” pic.twitter.com/qIoGV9fzsw
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 11, 2021
“There is little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” Bush said.
“But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit.”
Bush, aside from supporting Never Trump Republicans, has said he would like to see a presidential candidate for the GOP in 2024 with pro-gun control and pro-amnesty views.
“Bush remained hopeful that a more moderate Republican — one who supported reasonable gun reform measures, increased public school funding and a path to citizenship for undocumented workers … could succeed in the party’s 2024 presidential primary,” Politico reported.