‘Voting for character’: Former Rep. Liz Cheney endorses VP Harris

STAFFERS OF FOUR PREVIOUS REPUBLICAN NOMINEES, ALL OF THEM SUPPORTING HARRIS. JOINING US NOW, MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER FOR TIM SCOTT, AND FORMER AIDE TO JEB BUSH AND MITT ROMNEY. MEGAN HAYS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FORM DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING. WE KNOW VERY FEW ENDORSEMENTS HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE THE NEEDLE. DO YOU THINK THIS COULD MAYBE EVEN MORE BROADLY SORT OF PUSH THE TREND OF REPUBLICANS LEAVING TRUMP? COULD IT HAVE AN IMPACT? >> YOU KNOW, I DON'T. I THINK CERTAINLY LIZ CHENEY'S MADE NO SECRET OF WHAT SHE THINKS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, SO IT WASN'T A SURPRISE. I FAIL TO SEE WHO THAT PERSON IN A SWING STATE, MAYBE THAT INDEPENDENT VOTER WAS HEMMING AND HAWING BEYOND THE FENCE, AND SUDDENLY, LIZ CHENEY SIDES WITH KAMALA HARRIS, AND THEY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S THE WAY NOW. LOOK, SHE HAS THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR WHOMEVER SHE WANTS. I DON'T SEE THIS TO HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT. >> AGAIN, THAT MAY WELL BE THE CASE. BUT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MAY BE HAVE THOUGHT TO THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M JUST GOING TO WRITE IN A NAME, I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR MYSELF. I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR DAD, I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR WHOEVER, THEY MIGHT SAY, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE I DO NEED TO VOTE MY CONSCIENCE IN WHATEVER WAY THAT IS? >> LOOK, I HEAR THAT. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE -- I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARILY, WELL, I HAVE TO GO WITH THIS PERSON BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE ANOTHER PERSON. I DON'T OWE THE VOTE TO ANYBODY. YOU CAN WRITE IN SOMEBODY IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CHOOSE. A VOTE IS A STATEMENT OF YOUR VALUES. I MIGHT DISAGREE BUT RESPECT IT ENTIRELY. YOU'RE RIGHT, WE LIVE IN SUCH POLARIZED TIMES THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A BINARY CHOICE, AND I DON'T THINK SUDDENLY SOMEBODY'S GOING TO DON THAT LIZ CHENEY IS GOING TO MAKE IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. >> CHENEY REJECTED THE APPROACH OF PAT TOOMEY WHO SAID HE WON'T SUPPORT TRUMP BUT HE COULD NOT VOTE FOR HARRIS EITHER. DO YOU THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THIS KIND OF PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION IT RAISES THAT EVERY VOTER'S RESPONSIBILITY IS THIS IS HER ARGUMENT IS TO CAST A BALLOT THAT EQUALS DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY? >> YEAH, I DO, AND I ALSO THINK, YOU KNOW, I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE WITH MATT HERE. THIS SETS UP A PERMISSION STRUCTURE FOR OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO ARE ON THE FENCE OR ARE NOT GOING TO VOTE TO VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT PROBABLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES. THEY ALSO BELIEVE IN THE RULE OF LAW AND CONSTITUTION AND WANT TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN A WAY THAT DONALD TRUMP DOES NOT OR THEY DON'T FEEL THAT DONALD TRUMP WILL. I THINK THIS IS SETTING UP A PERMISSION STRUCTURE FOR THOSE FOLKS. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE McCAIN'S SON ALSO ENDORSING THE THE APPOINTEES FROM DIFFERENT REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS AND DIFFERENT STAFF ENDORSING THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR PRESIDENT, SO I JUST THINK THAT THIS IS JUST PEOPLE ARE VOTING ON CHARACTER, AND SO YOU MIGHT NOT AGREE ON THE ISSUES AND THEY ARE FULLY SAYING, WE DON'T AGREE ON THE ISSUES BUT WE ARE VOTING FOR CHARACTER, AND WE ARE VOTING FOR DEMOCRACY BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT PROTECT THAT. >> HERE'S HOW J.D. VANCE REACTED TO CHENEY'S ENDORSEMENT OF KAMALA HARRIS? >> A VERY GOOD THING I CAN SAY ABOUT THE NEXT PRESIDENCY OF DONALD J. TRUMP, HE'S GOING TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LIKE LIZ CHENEY ARE LAUGHED OUT OF THE OVAL OFFICE INSTEAD OF REWARDED. KAMALA HARRIS IS LIZ CHENEY MAKE INTERESTING PARTNERS. THEY GET RICH WHEN AMERICA'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS GO OFF TO DIE. THEY GET RICH WHEN AMERICAS LOSES WARS, AND THEY GET RICH WHEN AMERICA GETS WEAKER. >> IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE THIS CONVERSATION EVERY DAY. I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE, WHICH IS HE COULD HAVE SAID WHAT YOU SAID, MATT, LIKE, I DON'T THINK LIZ CHENEY IS RELEVANT HERE AND MOVE ON. BUT INSTEAD, HE DID THE TACTIC, WHICH WAS VERY FAMILIAR, WHICH IS ATTACK. IT WORKS WITH HIS BASE BUT IT DOES NOT EXPAND, IN FACT, IT DOES SOMETIMES REMIND PEOPLE WHO MAY BE ON THE FENCE OF WHAT THEY MIGHT NOT LIKE ABOUT POLITICS. IS THAT A MISTAKE? >> I HEAR YOU ON THAT. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THIS SPECIFIC SCENARIO. RIGHT? I HAVE FOLLOWED J.D. VANCE'S CAREER, READ HIS BOOK, AND I KIND OF RECOGNIZE THAT IN MANY WAYS I THINK FOR SOMEONE LIKE HIM WHO IS LEERY OF FOREIGN ENTANGLEMENTS, BUT SEES THENEO CONSERVATIVE WING, THE CHENEY FAMILY, AS REALLY BEING VERY IDEALOGICALLY OPPOSED. I WOULD SEE THEM CROSSING PARTY LINES, AND MORE OF A WORLD YOU THINK FOR HIM. THE CHENEY PART OF THIS IN PARTICULAR, THE NEO CONSERVATIVE PART OF THIS I THINK IS WHAT YOU SAW KIND OF DRAW HIS IRE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. >> DO YOU THINK, MEGHAN, THAT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN SEES THIS DIFFERENTLY? THERE IS REPORTING THAT THEY COURTED THIS ENDORSEMENT. DO YOU THINK IT'S AT ALL POSSIBLE SHE COULD GO OUT FOR KAMALA HARRIS MAYBE IN SOME OF THE BIG BATTLE GROUND STATES AND WOULD IT BE EFFECTIVE? >> THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN WOULD BE LUCKY TO HAVE LIZ CHENEY ON THE TRAIL WITH THEM OR AN E-MAIL OR FUNDRAISING LETTERS. IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL. BUT I THINK HER SAYING THIS UNPROMPTED, IT WAS NOT A PRESS RELEASE, SHE SAID IT AT AN EVENT IN NORTH CAROLINA, DOING IT IN NORTH CAROLINA IS MEANINGFUL, AND ALSO IN THE WAYS IT'S DONE, IT WAS AUTHENTIC, AND IT WAS JUST SORT OF THIS IS WHO I'M VOTING FOR AND HERE'S WHY. THAT ALSO WAS IMPACTFUL, AND I THINK