Former congresswoman Liz Cheney took a jab at billionaire political adviser Elon Musk after he amplified a post on X that correlated Cheney’s disdain for President Donald Trump to her time working in the U.S. Agency for International Development.
USAID - a humanitarian group distributing foreign aid - has become a target of Musk in his efforts to shrink the federal budget at the behest of Trump.
Musk reposted a claim that Cheney was “spawned out of USAID” and later co-lead the second impeachment against Trump for the January 6 attack on the Capitol as well as the “mass imprisonment campaign” against rioters.
“Interesting,” Musk wrote on Tuesday.
One day later, Cheney responded, “Damn right, Elon.” Affirming her involvement with the agency that has been subject to attacks from Musk and other Trump-aligned Republicans.
“I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy,” Cheney added. “Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.”
Musk was born in South Africa but obtained U.S. citizenship in 2002.
Cheney, a Republican and the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, worked in the USAID before attending law school. After, she returned to serve as an USAID officer in Budapest and Warsaw during George W. Bush’s administration.
The former congresswoman broke ties with her party to denounce Trump at the end of his first administration after the attack on the Capitol. She also campaign against Trump with former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris last year.
She’s been subject to attacks from Trump and his allies due to her opposition to the president. Trump said Cheney should be “jailed” for her role in investigating the attack on the Capitol and at one point vocalized a scenario in which she is shot.
Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen. https://t.co/lYpGhmVJnT
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) February 5, 2025
Now Musk is using Cheney’s former employment with USAID against her as he makes a case to revoke authority from the foreign aid agency.
This past week, Musk and his team in the Department of Government Efficiency, a informal organization within the Executive Office, have sought to get rid of the federal agency, believing it wastes money and needs to be subject to more oversight.
Now, dozens of USAID officials have been placed on leave and billions of dollars have been frozen as the administration attempts to merge the aid agency with the State Department.
