WASHINGTON — Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend and speak at a weekly meeting on Monday of the House Republican whip team.
A spokesperson for House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) told TPM that the whip invited the former vice president about “a month ago.”
“Scalise likes to have special guests at Whip meeting[s] from time to time. Figured Cheney would be a great guest, seeing as how he’s a former whip. And VP,” the spokesperson said. “He will likely talk about foreign policy.”
Cheney, a former congressman from Wyoming, briefly served as House minority whip from January to March of 1989 before he became secretary of defense under President George H. W. Bush.
One major upcoming foreign policy-related event is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday night, which has exacerbated tensions with the White House after he was invited by House Republicans without the approval of the president.
Cheney’s appearance also comes days after House Republican leaders suffered a major setback when 52 GOP lawmakers helped kill the leadership’s bill to temporarily stave off a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
