Liz Cheney accused of breaking ‘numerous federal laws’ as GOP calls for FBI probe
Liz Cheney likely violated “numerous federal laws” and should be investigated by the FBI for witness tampering, according to a Republican-led report released Tuesday.
The chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., was tasked with investigating the now-disbanded Jan. 6 Select Committee led by Cheney and others when Democrats and former Chairman Nancy Pelosi controlled the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023.
“Speaker Pelosi’s multimillion-dollar Select Committee was a political weapon with a singular focus on misleading the public into blaming President Trump for the January 6 violence and tarnishing the legacy of his first presidency,” the report said , written by MAGA allies. .
The J6 Commission was formed in July 2021 to investigate the Capitol riot earlier that year, ahead of Congress’ attempt to certify the 2020 election results.
The body lasted 18 months before ending at the end of 2022, ahead of the incoming Republican majority.
In presenting its conclusions, the J6 panel, which included former Republican Reps. Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, suggested that the Justice Department bring charges against Donald Trump for his role in the events of January 6.
But Loudermilk — a MAGA ally — now says the trial is likely rigged and that Cheney should be investigated.
“Based on the evidence obtained by this subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely violated by Liz Cheney, the former vice chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the report said.
Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., listens as the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing on June 28, 2022, at the Capitol in Washington. A new GOP report says she could likely be guilty of violating numerous federal laws during the investigation
Protesters gather on the second day of pro-Trump events, fueled by President Donald Trump’s continued claims of election fraud, to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them during a joint session of the 117th Congress on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, December 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. He has long criticized the January 6 Select Committee, which focused on investigating his actions and his own. followers
Cheney immediately fired back at the report’s findings, saying the report “willfully ignores the truth” and the vast amount of evidence against Trump.
“January 6 showed Donald Trump who he really is,” the former Wyoming Republican said. “He watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave.”
“Their accusations do not reflect a review of the factual evidence and are a malicious and cowardly attack on the truth. No reputable lawyer, lawmaker or judge would take this seriously,” Cheney continued.
At the center of Loudermilk’s allegations against Cheney are his claims that she improperly worked with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide.
“Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee indicates that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney,” the report continued.
Hutchinson was an aide to Trump’s then-chief of staff Mark Meadows at the time of the Capitol riot. Her testimony was crucial to the J6 Commission’s biggest findings.
One of her most compelling stories she told before the J6 committee was one she was told about a tantrum Trump allegedly had after giving a speech at the Ellipse, directly south of the White House near the National Mall , before the riot.
Hutchinson claimed she heard stories of the Republican becoming “enraged” and trying to grab his driver’s steering wheel to rejoin his supporters after leaving his speech.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide in the Trump administration, testified before the J6 panel about how she heard from others on January 6 about the president’s anger. That testimony was used in critical ways by the now defunct select committee.
assidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies during the sixth hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the 6th January Attack on the US Capitol on June 28, 2022
Pro-Trump protesters, including Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs, (checkered shirt in bottom center of frame) gather in front of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
But the Georgia Republican’s report suggests Cheney may have inappropriately contacted Hutchinson beforehand, noting how the former White House aide experienced a sudden shift in legal representation.
Hutchinson fired her original attorney and hired “the attorneys that Representative Cheney suggested,” the report said.
“Hutchinson took part in her fourth transcribed interview with the Select Committee under unusual circumstances,” the message continued.
The report detailed how the former Meadow’s employee’s “fourth transcribed interview, however, differed greatly” from other conversations she had with the J6 panel.
“It consisted of just four people: Representative Cheney, a Select Committee attorney, Hutchinson, and Hutchinson’s new counsel. “In addition, rather than the Select Committee conducting the interview in a conference room or virtually, Representative Cheney used her private hideout in the United States Capitol,” the report said.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) respond during a call moderated by Charlie Sykes in Brookfield, Wisconsin, U.S., October 21, 2024
The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, July 12, 2022
The report continues: ‘Hutchinson is mentioned by name in the [J6] The Select Committee’s final report no less than 185 times. Inexplicably, the Select Committee discredited the many legitimate witnesses who, under oath, repeatedly refuted Hutchinson’s testimony. These legitimate witnesses include senior government officials and federal agents.”
Former J6 Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement that Loudermilk’s claims are “baseless.”
“Representative Loudermilk has failed to discredit the work of the January 6 Select Committee. “His so-called ‘report’ is filled with unsubstantiated, conclusive allegations rather than facts,” he said.
“That’s because there is no escaping the reality that Donald Trump bears responsibility for the deadly Jan. 6 attack, no matter how much Mr. Loudermilk might want to rewrite history for his political purposes.”