Rep. Liz Cheney slams Trump's 'big lie' claim

The No.

3 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday said former President Donald Trump was "poisoning our democratic system" with his persistent false claims that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him.

This report produced by Chris Dignam.

Liz Cheney, the third most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, doubled down on her opposition to former President Donald Trump on Monday, saying on Twitter that he was "poisoning our democratic system" with his continued false claims that his November election defeat was the result of fraud.

Earlier, Trump released a statement saying, "The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!" attempting to commandeer a phrase often used by Democrats to describe the ex-president's claims of election fraud.

In response, Cheney said: "The 2020 presidential election was not stolen.

Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE." TRUMP: "The fake news media." Trump successfully redefined the term "fake news" during his presidency, following the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russia used fake news articles on social media as part of its effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

HILLARY CLINTON ON OCTOBER 19, 2016: "He'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States.

TRUMP: "No puppet.

No puppet.

You're the puppet." Trump's claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which Biden won by a margin of more than 7 million votes, have been roundly dismissed by courts and state and federal election authorities.

But polls show that a large number of Republican voters believe Trump's claims of fraud, which helped spark the deadly Jan.

6 riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

Cheney's unrelenting rejection of Trump's claims of fraud has frustrated the former president's Republican allies in the House of Representatives.

But, despite Trump's grip on the party, Cheney survived a February attempt to oust her from the House leadership, after she voted with nine other House Republicans to impeach Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection after the attack on the Capitol.

CHENEY: "We're not going to be in a situation where people can pick off any member of leadership." Cheney came under renewed pressure from her fellow Republicans after she gave President Joe Biden a fist bump at his first address to a joint session of Congress, raising the possibility of another attempt at her ouster.

On Saturday, Texas Republican and Trump ally Lance Gooden tweeted: "PREDICTION: she'll be out of her GOP leadership role by month’s end!"