Stefanik to make pitch to House Republicans for No. 3 leadership post
CBSN
Washington — New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik will make her pitch to House Republicans in a candidate forum Thursday evening in her bid to replace Congresswoman Liz Cheney as GOP conference chair, the day after Cheney was unceremoniously ousted from her post due to her persistent criticism of former President Donald Trump.
Stefanik is considered the frontrunner for the post, as she has support from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, prominent Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan and Mr. Trump himself. No other Republican has formally thrown their hat in the ring, but a few conservative members have raised concerns about Stefanik's credentials. A final vote is expected on Friday. Congressman Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus who issued a memo on Tuesday indicating that he would not support Stefanik, is considering a bid for the post. His office said in a statement Wednesday that Roy was "not ruling anything out," arguing that "this must be a contested race — not a coronation."Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.