From the start, the Select Committee on January 6 was rocked by problems, with perhaps no other member of that committee in as much trouble as now former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). There's been chatter about criminal referrals for Cheney for months, especially since she is a former member of Congress, though it also came up once more earlier this week with President-elect Donald Trump weighing in during his "Meet the Press" interview with Kristen Welker. As was also mentioned, President Joe Biden is reportedly considering a preemptive pardon for Cheney and others.
During tht interview, Trump reminded how involved in the Harris-Walz campaign that Cheney had been, noting he "thought it was a terrible move." Speaking of her role on what he referred to as "the unselect committee," and Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Trump referred to their actions of "inexcusable" when it comes to how "they deleted and destroyed all evidence of, that they found."
He also brought up how Secret Service agents rebutted testimony from the committee's star witness, Cassy Hutchinson, though the driver was delayed from doing so. "They said it was total bulls**t," Trump offered. "And all of this stuff came out. People lied so badly. Now, listen, this was a committee, a big deal. They lied. And what did they do? They deleted and destroyed a whole year and a half worth of testimony. Do you know that I can’t get--I think those people committed a major crime."
As Welker kept trying to speak over Trump, he made clear that "Cheney was behind it," adding, "and so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee." He also offered, "honestly, they should go to jail," speaking of Cheney and other members on the committee.
That being said, Trump was still clear that he would not direct his FBI director and/or attorney general from sending them to jail. "No, not at all," Trump said. "I think that they’ll have to look at that, but I’m not going to--I’m going to focus on drill, baby, drill," he added when it comes to his priorities for a second Trump term.
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Such a narrative is particularly damning when Democrats, including and especially Vice President Kamala Harris herself, claimed that it was Trump who would weaponize his Department of Justice (DOJ) to go after his political enemies. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris DOJ has already been doing just that when it comes to going after not just Trump, but everyday Americans. During that same interview, Trump shared he will achieve "retribution through success."
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Retribution will be through success."
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EsrnpgNk5s
"They can do whatever they want," Trump also offered about those in his DOJ, as Welker continued to press him. He also extended that offer for Biden about his pardons. "Biden can give them a pardon if he wants to. And maybe he should," Trump said, though he still reminded Welker of the committee's shenanigans. "Just remember, unselect committee. A year and a half of sworn testimony, and after getting all of the testimony, they deleted it, wait, and they destroyed almost everything. There’s nothing left. It’s unprecedented."
TRUMP CALLS OUT KRISTIN WELKER TO HER FACE.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 9, 2024
This is one of the many boss moments from Meet the Press.pic.twitter.com/ShBpVuJkjW
I agree with President Trump.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) December 9, 2024
For what Liz Cheney and the January 6th Committee did, they should go to jail. pic.twitter.com/eKEZOkDh8K
Cheney has not posted from her X account since November 6, the morning after Trump beat Harris. While Cheney has taken to social media in the past to complain about those who dare to criticize her and her work on the committee, we weren't treated to such a response this time. Rather, as Bob Hoge mentioned over at our sister site of RedState, the former congresswoman provided a statement to The Hill. She first provided the statement to The New York Times.
Reporting from the latter went for a particularly sympathetic tone to the former Congresswoman. As the headline from The New York Times read, "Threatened With Jail, Cheney Condemns Trump’s 'Assault on the Rule of Law.'"
As her statement mentioned:
“Here is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power,” she said in a statement. “He mobilized an angry mob and sent them to the United States Capitol, where they attacked police officers, invaded the building and halted the official counting of electoral votes. Trump watched on television as police officers were brutally beaten and the Capitol was assaulted, refusing for hours to tell the mob to leave.”
She continued: “This was the worst breach of our Constitution by any president in our nation’s history. Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
...
...“Donald Trump knows his claims about the select committee are ridiculous and false, as has been detailed extensively, including by Chairman Thompson,” she said. “There is no conceivably appropriate factual or constitutional basis for what Donald Trump is suggesting — a Justice Department investigation of the work of a congressional committee — and any lawyer who attempts to pursue that course would quickly find themselves engaged in sanctionable conduct.”
As Hoge also mentioned in response to Cheney's statement, and as cannot be emphasized enough, Trump's enemies and their allies in the mainstream media seem to be awfully forgetful about how Trump framed January 6 over social media, stressing that he wanted protesters to be "peaceful."
The House may have filed articles of impeachment in 2021 over that day, in a push led by Cheney and fellow former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), but he was acquitted in the Senate. That second impeachment trial was particularly shameful, given that it took place after Trump had already left office and Biden had been sworn in.
While Cheney has not posted to her X account, Kinzinger has, to promote how he wrote his response over Substack.
Just a reminder: https://t.co/HtFQ3A7NbP pic.twitter.com/D9rWvUvOSL
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) December 10, 2024
Oh, listen. We aren’t afraid. My response to trumps threat:https://t.co/pFFCnynv2z
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) December 8, 2024
The likes of Cheney, Kinzinger, and Democrats they've tried so hard to suck up to are still hyperfocused on January 6, 2021, but many Americans have moved on when it comes to caring as much as they do. If anything, Americans care about those January 6 defendants treated particularly harsh by our government. There have been calls, including from our own Kurt Schlichter, for Trump to pardon these defendants.
As Trump made clear, he will be "acting very quickly" on pardons for some of those defendants, pointing out how they've been languishing "for years!"
President Trump says he will be "acting very quickly" on pardons for some J6 defendants: "We're going to look at individual cases ... They've been in there for years!" pic.twitter.com/XeLbemtYXO
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
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