Liz Cheney denies recording bombshell tape of Kevin McCarthy saying he would urge Trump to resign after Jan. 6 riot

Key Points

• Rep. Liz Cheney denied recording or leaking audio from a phone call that appears to show House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy saying he would tell then-President Donald Trump to resign after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
• The only discussion I would have with [Trump] is that I think [impeachment] will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign, McCarthy said in the recording.
• Though he lost to President Joe Biden, Trump remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party and has hinted he will run for president in 2024.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks about the Jan. 6 Select Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, July 21, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Rep. Liz Cheney on Friday denied recording or leaking audio from a phone call that appears to show House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy saying he would tell then-President Donald Trump to resign after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

A portion of that call, dated Jan. 10, 2021, aired Thursday night on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. Hours earlier, McCarthy denied saying he would tell Trump to step down.

In the audio clip, the California Republican can be heard telling Cheney, R-Wyo., that he believed Trump would be impeached in the House and possibly convicted in the Senate after the Jan. 6 riot.

The only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign, McCarthy said, according to the recording.