On Wednesday, Republican representatives voted to strip Rep. Liz Cheney of her leadership position within the party’s House delegation, a move that represents a significant step by a political party that has precedents in U.S. history. The Onion looks back at the history of U.S. politicians being punished by their own political party.
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- Sen. Thomas J. Dodd (D): Censured in 1967 for spending campaign funds on personal use in the days before there were more clever legal ways for senators to do that.
- Rep. Charles Diggs (D): A Michigan representative censured for mail fraud, which everyone agreed was an incredibly lame crime to be caught doing.
- Rep. Theodore Stanton (R): Expelled from Republican Party in 1894 when they found out he’d spent the last 12 years in Congress representing Franklin, a state that didn’t exist.
- Sen. John L. McLaurin (D): Censured in 1902 for getting his ass kicked on the Senate floor by fellow Senator Benjamin Tillman.
- Rep. Bob Ney (R): Kicked out of Congress for being the one who went too far with the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal and ruined it for everyone else.
- Sen. Barack Obama (D): Punished for his oratory skills by being forced to run for president.
- Sen. Huey Long (D): Investigated for electoral fraud in 1934 after author Robert Penn Warren urged him to create some type of scandal to spice up the second half of All The King’s Men.
- Sen. John H. Mitchell (R): Charged with corruption in 1905 but died during proceedings, saving Senate Republicans from having to execute him themselves.
- Rep. Lyle Diggory (R): Removed from Congress in 1982 after it was discovered he’d been using his office to represent his constituents’ interests.
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