Dick Cheney, the former vice president and a central figure behind the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, died Monday at the age of 84 from complications related to pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family announced Tuesday.
A key proponent of the Iraq War, Cheney was among the Bush administration’s most forceful voices warning of Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, claims later proven false. Known for his hardline national security stance, Cheney frequently clashed with senior officials including Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice and staunchly defended the use of “enhanced interrogation” methods such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation.
Cheney’s daughter, Liz Cheney, served in Congress but lost reelection after breaking with her party over President Trump’s impeachment. The former vice president publicly supported her stance and went on to say he would vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, declaring, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
