Since she was ousted, Cheney has publicly criticized the party for embracing Trump and “his cult of personality,” and has confirmed a possible run for president, despite her recent defeat.

In the wake of her loss, it appeared Cheney also made a particularly cruel dig at one of her long-standing rivals, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

The Claim

A tweet sent on August 18, 2022, suggested that Liz Cheney had called Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz “evil Quagmire”, daring him to make further attacks against her.

The tweet, archived here, received more than 32,000 engagements a day after it was published.

The Facts

Liz Cheney has not minced her words before when it comes to Matt Gaetz; in April 2021 she labeled sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz “sickening.”

Gaetz campaigned against Rep. Cheney in her own state of Wyoming in January 2021 because she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, leading to sustained animosity between the pair.

A glance at this new tweet, seemingly sent by Cheney, appears to be another callout to Gaetz, accusing him of a sycophantic relationship with Trump, and comparing his appearance to bulbous-headed Family Guy character Glenn Quagmire.

However, while at a glance it appears that Cheney might have made the disparaging comment, the slight was, in fact, from a parody account.

While the pictured tweet carries the same profile picture used in Cheney’s official congresswoman Twitter profile, with a verification tick beside it, the account name is a giveaway (RepLizChoney), while the tag “Parody Rob’’ further indicates that the message was sent as a joke.

While a number of Twitter users were able to deduce its authenticity, many appeared to believe the tweet was genuine.

It’s not the only parody to have confused social media recently. A video of vice president Kamala Harris appearing to offer explicit advice on how to “get ahead,” was shared tens of thousands of times on Twitter this week.

The clip, which was convincingly produced, edited footage from a 2019 CNN debate on climate change.

Another parody tweet that went viral, joked that Trump’s Truth Social app now contained ads for a COVID-19 vaccine radar and “Mike Lindell’s My Pillow…so you can easily drink up those liberal tears”.

The Ruling

False.

Despite Cheney and Gaetz’s intense political rivalry, the tweet calling him an “evil Quagmire” was not sent by Cheney. It was sent from a parody account called “RepLizChoney,” the misspelling being among a number of giveaways of its inauthenticity.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team