Cheney, the vice chair of the January 6 select committee, made the remark on Tuesday while taking questions at an event at the Harvard Institute of Politics.
The Republican congresswoman was asked by a student whether the U.S. could “credibly promote and support democracy” around the world when it’s “falling apart” in this country.
In response, Cheney, one of the most vocal Donald Trump critics in the GOP, said first that the U.S. must make sure it is “doing everything necessary” to support the Ukrainian people as Kyiv battles Russia’s invasion.
She went on: “I don’t know that I can say I was surprised, but I think it’s really disgraceful that Minority Leader McCarthy suggested that if the Republicans get the majority back that we will not continue to provide support for the Ukrainians.”
Earlier on Tuesday, McCarthy had told Punchbowl News that the GOP will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine if they win back the House in November’s midterm elections.
“People are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” McCarthy said. “They just won’t do it … It’s not a free blank check.”
Cheney, who will not be standing for election in November after losing her GOP primary in August, said the war between Ukraine and Russia showed that democracy “must be better armed than tyranny” in order for it to succeed.
“Ukraine is the front line in the battle for freedom,” Cheney said. “And the world, not just America, has an obligation to make sure that Ukraine prevails.”
Cheney added that despite the debates among Republicans and Democrats over whether the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine, she did not believe the country should implement an “isolationist” foreign policy.
“That’s a recipe for the Russias of the world, the Iranians of the world, the North Koreas of the world, for them to fill the void,” Cheney said.
“A world in which China is the predominant power will be a global surveillance state,” Cheney added. “That is not a global order that any of us want our children to have to suffer in. So, America’s role in the world really matters and American leadership really matters.”
Elsewhere, Cheney said the House committee investigating the January 6 attack would issue its subpoena to Trump “shortly.” During its ninth hearing on October 14, the panel unanimously voted to call the former president to speak under oath and hand over documents related to the storming of the Capitol.
“We’ll take whatever next steps we have to take, you know, assuming that he will fulfill his legal obligation and honor the subpoena,” she said. “But if that doesn’t happen, then we’ll take the steps we need to take after that, but I don’t want to go too far down that path at this point.”
Rep. McCarthy has been contacted for comment.
