Congresswoman Liz Cheney, in an interview aired Sunday, said the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol could potentially make multiple criminal charges, including one against former President Donald Trump.
During an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Cheney, who is the commission’s vice chairman, was asked by correspondent Jonathan Karl whether the work done by its members showed that Trump’s conduct warranted prosecution.
“Ultimately, the Department of Justice will decide this,” the Wyoming Republican said. “I think as a committee we can have an opinion on that.”
She continued, “If you just think about it in terms of 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 under threat — when Congress is under threat? It’s just very chilling. And I think we’ll certainly continue to present to the American people what we’ve found.”
When asked pointedly if it was possible for the commission to pursue criminal charges, Cheney nodded and said, “Yes.”
She also stressed that the Department of Justice should not defer to the commission in handling its own criminal referral.
“There may be more than one criminal referral,” Cheney said.
A criminal referral made by the group would have no specific legal effect, but would allow Congress to notify the Department of Justice of the possibility of criminal conduct.
In April, The New York Times reported that the group was divided over whether to send a criminal case against Trump to the Justice Department, but Cheney at the time denied any dispute among its members.
Cheney’s interview comes less than a week after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s bombshell testimony during a committee hearing, where she described previously unknown details about Trump’s behavior on the day of the riot.
The Conservative MP said he had full confidence in Hutchinson’s statements to the committee.
“I am absolutely confident in her credibility. I am confident in her testimony,” she said.
“I think what Cassidy Hutchinson did was an incredible example of bravery and courage and patriotism in the face of real pressure,” she added.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, hugs U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) after testifying during the House Committee’s sixth hearing on Jan. 6 on June 28, 2022, in Washington , District of Columbia . Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Cheney told Karl that pursuing potential charges against Trump would be “difficult” for the country, especially as he continues to consider a timetable to launch a potential 2024 presidential campaign against President Joe Biden.
But she warns of the “constitutional threat” of not holding officials accountable.
“I’m more concerned about what it would mean if people weren’t held accountable for what happened here,” she said. “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, ‘You know, we’re not really going to take constitutional seriously. obligation. I think it’s a much more serious threat.”
“I really believe that we have to make these decisions, as difficult as it is, separate from politics. We really have to think about them in terms of: What does this mean for the country?” she added.
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