WASHINGTON: Republican former vice president Dick Cheney said on Friday he will vote for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris over Republican former President Donald Trump in the Nov 5 US elections, following a similar statement made by his daughter Liz Cheney this week. Trump and Harris are locked in a tight race for the Nov 5 vote and face off in a debate next week.

Some Republicans upset with Trump’s control over their party and his actions have recently thrown support behind Harris, including several former staffers of former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Dick Cheney served as vice president under Republican President George W. Bush from 2001 till 2009.

He has faced criticism over the years from human rights groups as he played a large role in planning the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which produced a heavy civilian death toll and human rights abuses. In the case of Iraq, the war was based on lies that Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction that were never found.

Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney, the former vice president’s daughter, has also been a vocal critic of the current Republican presidential candidate, including over the Jan 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2024