Liz Cheney advises graduates to uphold truth in speech.

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney Urges Graduates to Stand for Truth

“Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney delivered a powerful commencement speech at her alma mater, Colorado College, urging new graduates to never compromise when it comes to the truth. Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, criticized her House Republican colleagues for not doing enough to combat former President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen.

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. She connected her experiences as a student to her work in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she had to choose between lying and losing her position in House leadership.

Standing Up to the Threat to Democracy

Cheney’s speech touched on the same themes 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.

“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,” Cheney said.

Cheney’s Political Future

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. Though some have offered measured criticisms, no declared or potential challenger has embraced anti-Trump messaging to the same extent as Cheney.

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 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.

Cheney’s speaking tour appears to be picking up. She is scheduled to appear Thursday at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan.