Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Tuesday (December 17) called President-elect Donald Trump a “cruel and vindictive man,” as House Republicans and his allies pushed for an investigation into the former lawmaker over alleged witness tampering related to the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
“Jan. 6th showed Donald Trump for who [he] really is — a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television,” Cheney said in a statement. “The January 6th Committee’s hearings and report featured scores of republican witnesses, including many of the most senior officials from Trump’s own White House, campaign and Administration.”
“Now, Chairman Loudermilk’s ‘Interim Report’ intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did,” she went on to add.
Cheney’s remarks followed the release of a report by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight.
Accusations against Cheney
The report accused Cheney of misconduct during her tenure on the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack, alleging that she may have tampered with a witness and encouraged perjury.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly called for Cheney to be jailed for her work on the House panel investigating Capitol riots.
The release of the report comes at a crucial time, with Congress set to confirm the results of the 2024 election in the coming weeks.
The report specifically targets Cheney for prosecution due to her involvement with one of the key witnesses against Trump, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who provided some of the most detailed accounts of the ex-president’s actions on January 6, had testified before the Jan. 6 committee during a 2022 hearing. She revealed that she had initially withheld information during her first interviews with the panel, citing a “moral struggle” and a desire to revisit her testimony.
All about the January 6 committee
The January 6 committee was established in July 2021 to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, which took place ahead of President Biden’s inauguration on January 20. The investigation was conducted during a time when Democrats held control of the House.
The committee wrapped up its 18-month investigation last year, shortly before Republicans regained control of the House. It sent referrals to the Justice Department, recommending criminal prosecution for Trump regarding his role in the events leading up to the Capitol breach. The committee included seven Democrats and two Republican members, Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom are no longer in office.
