Gov. Hogan rips GOP for devotion to Trump: It bothers me that you have to swear fealty to 'Dear Leader' or you get kicked out the party

• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan criticized the GOP leadership for its devotion to Trump.
• Hogan, a Republican, said members of his party who don't love Trump get "kicked out."
• "It's sort of a circular firing squad where we're just attacking our own party," he said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan criticized Sunday members of his own party as they work to strip Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney of her leadership position in the House of Representatives.

"Can you explain why the party doesn't seem to hold Donald Trump responsible?" asked Chuck Todd, the moderator of NBC News' "Meet the Press."

Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, has for months faced scrutiny by members of her party for her vote to impeach President Donald Trump for his incitement of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Read more: Trump isn't endorsing a candidate in the Virginia GOP governor race. His absence has made an already chaotic campaign even more bonkers.

GOP leadership is inching closer toward a potential vote this week that would oust Cheney as the chair of the House GOP Conference and replace her New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who has been publicly loyal to Trump since he left office.

"I've had it with ... I've had it with her. You know, I've lost confidence. ... Well, someone just has to bring a motion, but I assume that will probably take place," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, reportedly a hot mic during a recent Fox News interview, according to Axios.

Despite the backlash from GOP membership, Cheney has refused to acquiesce to the members of her party who falsely claim the election was stolen from Trump.

"We must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution or join Trump's crusade to delegitimize and undo the legal outcome of the 2020 election, with all the consequences that might have," she said in a May 3 tweet.

Hogan said Sunday that Republicans who continue to unequivocally throw their support behind the ex-president are afraid of him.

"I think they're concerned about retaliation from the president," Hogan said Sunday. "They're concerned about being attacked within the party. And it just bothers me that you have to swear fealty to the 'Dear Leader' or you get kicked out of the party. It just doesn't make any sense."

Todd noted that Cheney had supported Trump while in office, particularly his 2017 tax reform bill that Stefanik voted against. According to data from FiveThirtyEight, Cheney voted with Trump's agenda nearly 93% of the time vs Stefanik, who supported it about 78% of the time.

"Well, it's sort of a circular firing squad where we're attacking members of our own party," Hogan said.

He said members of the GOP were more interested in infighting than "focusing on problems" or "standing up and having an argument" with Democrats over Biden's agenda.