WASHINGTON – Political leaders convened at Washington National Cathedral to honor former Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday. Cheney, who was 84, passed away earlier this month from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
All living former vice presidents attended, including Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle. Former Presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush and first ladies Jill Biden and Laura Bush, also attended.
Former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris and Mike Pence attended the services. (Riddhimaa L. Kodali/MNS)
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were neither present nor invited to the services. A fierce critic of the president in his final years, Cheney described him as a “coward” in a 2022 campaign ad alongside his daughter and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). In the ad, Cheney said there has never been “a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on Nov. 4 that Trump was “aware” of Cheney’s passing, but the President has not publicly commented nor issued a statement on Cheney’s death. At a fireside chat hosted by Breitbart on Thursday, Vance addressed “political disagreements” with Cheney but offered his condolences to the family.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s casket is prepared to be carried out of the hearse. (Katareena Roska/MNS)
Bush delivered a eulogy at the funeral, praising Cheney’s qualities as a leader during a career spanning over three decades. He described his partner in office as a “model of concentration, alertness, and composure.”
Former President George W. Bush delivered a eulogy at the service. (Riddhimaa L. Kodali/MNS)
“This was a vice president totally devoted to protecting the United States and its interest,” Bush added. “There was never any agenda or angle beyond that.”
In her tribute, Liz Cheney also described her father’s devotion to the country as “deep and substantive.” She did not directly address his condemnation of Trump but alluded to his decision to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
“He knew that bonds of party must always yield to the single bond we share as Americans,” Liz Cheney said. “For him, a choice between defense of the Constitution and defense of your political party was no choice at all.”
Former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, daughter of late Vice President Dick Cheney, remembers her father’s personal and professional legacy. (Riddhimaa L. Kodali/MNS)
Cheney served under Bush from 2001 to 2009, becoming one of the most influential but polarizing vice presidents in history. He championed an expansive view of executive power and was a chief architect of the Bush administration’s War on Terror following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Cheney was a leading proponent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a war driven by unsubstantiated claims about the presence of weapons of mass destruction. He faced widespread criticism for his unrelenting support of this decision, which became a defining feature of his legacy.
Liz Cheney alongside her mother, Lynne Cheney, and relatives exit the Washington National Cathedral. (Katareena Roska/MNS)
Before joining the Bush administration, Cheney rose through Washington as White House chief of staff, Wyoming representative, and secretary of defense.
“You did not know Dick Cheney unless you understood his greatest concerns and ambitions were for his country,” Bush said at Thursday’s services. “Across 40 years, his service was consistent, faithful and noble.”
