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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Dick Cheney, the Republican vice president who served under George W. Bush, has died aged 84, according to a statement from his family.
Cheney died on Monday evening "due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease,” a statement from his family says.
The Context
Cheney served two terms as vice president under Bush from 2001 to 2009 and is viewed as one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in U.S history.
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His legacy has been defined by his role in the post-9/11 “War on Terror.” He was the driving force behind the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 over claims that Saddam Hussein’s regime had weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to not be true. He also consistently defended the "advanced interrogation techniques" used against suspected terrorists and expansion of surveillance over Americans in response to the 9/11 attacks.
More recently, Cheney shocked many when he announced he would vote for Kamala Harris, a Democrat, in the 2024 election, saying there has “never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
What To Know
Cheney's family statement says: “For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing.
"We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney had dealt with heart issues for decades and survived five heart attacks. He experienced his first heart attack while running for the U.S. House in the late 1970s.
He underwent a heart transplant in 2012, saying the following year that he awoke each morning “with a smile on my face, thankful for the gift of another day.”
What People Are Saying
Miles Taylor, a former Trump administration official turned critic, wrote on X that Cheney’s “last act of public service was to defy the GOP as a vocal critic of Donald Trump. That took guts.”
Former Republican congressman George Santos, whose prison sentence was recently commuted by Trump, wrote on X: “Dick Cheney will meet his maker and will have lots of explaining to do. I wish his family well all things considered, but I haven’t and won’t ever shed a tear for a war criminal of his ilk.”
What’s Next
Details about Cheney’s funeral have not yet been released.
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