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A special House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot could make multiple criminal referrals to former President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for its role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) , the commission’s deputy chairman, said in an interview aired Sunday.
“The Department of Justice should not wait for the commission to make a criminal referral,” Cheney said on ABC’s “This Week.” “And there may be more than one criminal referral.”
Cheney emphasized that the commission’s goals are not political, but also that the Justice Department should not hold back from prosecuting Trump because of concerns about political optics if the evidence warrants prosecution.
“I think it’s a much more serious constitutional threat if a president can engage in these kinds of activities and the majority of the president’s party looks the other way, or we as a country decide that we’re not really going to take our constitutional duties seriously, Cheney said.
Cheney continued to express serious concern about the idea of Trump running for the GOP presidential nomination for a third time.
“I think there’s no doubt, I mean, a man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be anywhere near the Oval Office again,” Cheney said.
The Republican Party, she said, could not survive if Trump were its presidential candidate in 2024.
“Millions of people, millions of Republicans have been betrayed by Donald Trump. And that’s a really painful thing for people to recognize and admit, but that’s absolutely true,” Cheney said. “And they were betrayed by him, by the big lie and what he continues to do and say to tear our country and our party apart.”
The interview was Cheney’s first since the panel on Jan. 6 began holding public hearings, and was recorded days after Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, gave bombshell testimony about Trump’s actions — and inaction — that day of the Capitol attack.
Hutchinson testified last week that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed but urged them to march on the Capitol anyway, and that he was reportedly unconcerned by mob threats to hang Vice President Mike Pence.
“What kind of person knows that a mob is armed and sends a mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his own vice president is threatened? When Congress is under threat?” Cheney said. “It’s very chilling.”
Since then, Trump and his allies have tried to discredit Hutchinson, but Cheney said she has “absolute confidence” in the former White House aide’s testimony. Hutchinson also testified last week that Trump was “angry” when he was told he would not be able to travel to the Capitol with supporters after his speech on the Ellipse, and that she was told Trump had lashed out at his security in anger while inside the presidential limousine.
Asked if the committee had additional evidence to corroborate Hutchinson’s testimony, Cheney said the committee had “substantial evidence on a whole range of issues, including the president’s intense anger” in the presidential limousine. Cheney strongly suggested that anyone who denied Hutchinson’s version of events also testify before the committee under oath.
“What Cassidy Hutchinson did was an incredible example of bravery, courage and patriotism in the face of real pressure,” Cheney said. “The committee will not stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men claiming executive privilege.”
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified June 28 about President Donald Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), the only other GOP member on the committee since Jan. 6, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that more witnesses have come forward since the hearings began, including after Hutchinson testified.
“I don’t want to get into who or any specifics,” Kinzinger said. “Every day we get new people who come in and say, “Hey, I didn’t think maybe this part of the story that I knew was important.”
The panel, as of Jan. 6, has already interviewed two people who were in the presidential limousine at the time of Trump’s outburst: Robert Engel, Trump’s former Secret Service chief, and Anthony Ornato, who coordinates physical security at the White House.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a committee member since Jan. 6, said Ornato’s recollection “doesn’t seem as accurate” as Hutchinson’s, but hesitated when was asked if Ornato testified before the commission under oath.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), another member of the committee since Jan. 6, said Sunday that he could not go into detail about what Engel and Ornato had previously shared with the committee, but that committee members would interested had the two men return to “shed light” on what happened in the presidential limousine.
The committee, he added, was also “in discussions” with lawyers for Pat Cipollone, a former White House adviser whom the committee had previously interviewed but would like to bring back for additional testimony. Hutchinson testified last week that Cipollone warned of legal risks for Trump if he went to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“But the bottom line is: There doesn’t seem to be any dispute about the fact that the president was furious that he couldn’t escort this armed mob to the Capitol,” Schiff said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “That doesn’t seem to be disputed by anyone except Donald Trump, who, as we’ve seen in the past, has no credibility whatsoever.”
Schiff said he agreed with Cheney that there could be multiple criminal references to Trump’s Justice Department and that it would do much more damage to the country if Trump were not investigated because of concerns about further political division.
Schiff warned that if the Justice Department took the position that it could not investigate or indict a former president, it would elevate Trump to someone who is above the law.
“It’s a very dangerous idea that the Founders would never have subscribed to — even more dangerous, I think, in the case of Donald Trump,” Schiff said. “Donald Trump is a man who has shown that when he is not held accountable, he continues to commit worse and worse abuses of power.”
The commission since Jan. 6 has continued to investigate any ties between the Trump White House and the far-right white nationalist groups that were involved in the Capitol attack, he said.
“Our next hearing will be focused on efforts to bring this crowd together on [National] Mall: Who was involved, who funded it, how it was organized, including the involvement of these white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters and others,” Schiff said. “I think we’ve got some answers, but there’s still a lot we don’t know, but we’re yet to find out.”
Nick Miroff contributed to this report.
The January 6 Uprising
The House Special Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 riot is holding a series of high-level hearings this month.
Congressional Hearings: The House committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol has conducted more than 1,000 interviews over the past year. He shared his findings in a series of hearings beginning June 9. Here’s what we know about the hearings and how to watch them.
The Rebellion: On January 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died that day or shortly thereafter, and 140 police officers were attacked.
Inside the Siege: During the riot, rioters came dangerously close to breaking into the building’s inner sanctums while lawmakers were still inside, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on January 6.
Accusations: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tario and four lieutenants were charged with a mutinous plot, joining Oath Keepers leader Stuart Rhodes and about two dozen of his associates who were charged for their part in the Capitol attack. They are just some of the hundreds who have been charged, many of whom received sentences significantly lighter than the government had sought.
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