Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) took Vice President J.D. Vance to task over the weekend, accusing him of trying to “rage-quit the Republic” after he lashed out at a federal judge’s decision blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Treasury Department records.
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The controversy erupted after U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued a ruling on Saturday, temporarily barring DOGE and other Trump administration officials from accessing the Treasury’s payment system. The decision followed concerns raised by 19 state attorneys general, who warned that granting DOGE access could jeopardize the privacy of their residents.
Vance took to social media on Sunday to voice his frustration, amplifying a message from Harvard law professor Adrian Vermeule. “Judicial interference with legitimate acts of state, especially the internal functioning of a co-equal branch, is a violation of the separation of powers,” Vermeule wrote. The vice president followed up with his own critique, arguing that the judiciary was overstepping its authority.
“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance opined. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal.” “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” he added.
His remarks drew sharp criticism from Cheney, who fired back on the BlueSky social media platform. “If you believe any of the multiple federal courts that have ruled against you so far are exceeding their statutory or Constitutional authority, your recourse is to appeal,” she wrote. “You don’t get to rage-quit the Republic just because you are losing. That’s tyranny.”
Cheney’s pointed response underscored ongoing tensions between Trump-aligned Republicans and traditional conservatives over the balance of power between the branches of government. While Vance and other administration officials argue that judicial rulings are obstructing executive authority, Cheney and other critics contend that the courts are fulfilling their constitutional role in checking presidential overreach.
The ruling against DOGE is the latest in a series of legal battles facing the Trump administration as it seeks to reshape federal operations. Whether the administration will appeal Engelmayer’s decision remains unclear, but the exchange between Vance and Cheney highlights a deepening divide within the GOP over the role of the judiciary in restraining executive power.
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