“We’ll make a decision as a committee on that,” the Wyoming Republican told ABC News when asked about the prospect of subpoenaing Trump for criminal prosecution, and said yes when asked if subpoenaing Trump was a possibility.
“The Department of Justice should not wait for the commission to make a criminal referral, and there can be more than one criminal referral,” Cheney said.
The panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol is divided on the issue of criminal referrals, although members widely agree that Trump committed a crime when he promoted conspiracies about the 2020 election. Cheney said, that the commission is likely to weigh in on whether Trump should be prosecuted.
“It’s possible that as a committee we have an opinion on that,” she said. “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 threatened?”
“It’s very chilling, and I think we’ll certainly continue to present to the American people what we’ve found,” she continued.
Cheney’s remarks come days after explosive testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who recalled being told of Trump’s anger when he was told by his Secret Service that he could not accompany protesters to the Capitol on Jan. 6 .
Hutchinson’s testimony under oath has since been questioned by some Trump allies without speaking under oath.
But two Secret Service sources told CNN that stories about the incident have been circulated — including details that are similar to how Hutchinson described it to the committee on Jan. 6. The Secret Service said agents involved in the described incident, some of whom had already been interviewed by the panel, would be made available to testify again under oath.
“The committee will not stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and people claiming executive privilege,” Cheney said. “We look forward to further affidavits on a range of issues.”
Cheney said the committee had evidence confirming Trump’s fury when he was told he could not go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The commission has considerable evidence on a whole range of issues, including the president’s intense anger,” she said. “You will continue to see in the coming days and weeks additional details about the president’s activities and behavior that day.”
Cheney, who has faced significant pushback from fellow Republicans over her condemnation of Trump and her role in leading the investigation into the Jan. 6 riot, insisted the proceedings are not intended to politically disqualify Trump from running for president again.
Instead, she said they aimed to ensure the American people had an account of what happened that day, although she admitted there was “not one thing” she had learned that made her more concerned. little since Trump’s return to the White House.
“A man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be anywhere near the Oval Office again,” she said.
CNN previously reported that Trump is anxiously considering when exactly he should announce a presidential bid in 2024 — a decision that has become even more pressing as he tries to regain control of his image after a spate of damaging revelations from the commission from January 6.
Cheney, who faces an uphill battle in his re-election bid in Wyoming, said the Republican Party would not survive if Trump is chosen as the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.
While she refused to rule out her own run for president, she said her focus is elsewhere right now.
“I haven’t made a decision on that yet, and obviously I’m very focused on my re-election, I’m very focused on the Jan. 6 committee, I’m very focused on my duties to do the job that I have now,” she said. “And I will make a decision for ’24’ later.”
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