President-elect Donald Trump responded Wednesday to a new House report recommending a criminal investigation into former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., for her actions during the January 6, 2021, investigation.
Trump commented on the interim report issued by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, which concluded Cheney should be investigated for possible criminal witness tampering. He stated, “Numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.” He added, “Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee.”
The statement underscored Trump’s awareness of the political and legal challenges now facing one of his fiercest critics. He also praised Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk, chair of the subcommittee, for a “job well done.”
The report, released Tuesday, delves into Cheney’s alleged actions during the Jan. 6 investigation. It accused Cheney of witness tampering, specifically in her interactions with former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. According to the report, Cheney allegedly “tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge.”
Hutchinson, whose testimony included dramatic claims against Trump, was said to have “falsely claimed to have drafted a handwritten note for President Trump on January 6,” among other assertions. The report alleges that “Cassidy Hutchinson’s most outrageous claims lacked any evidence” and that the January 6 Select Committee “had knowledge that her claims were false when they publicly promoted her.”
The subcommittee recommended that the FBI review Hutchinson’s testimony to determine whether she also lied in her FBI interview and assess Cheney’s role in encouraging Hutchinson to alter her testimony.
The report further criticized the original January 6 Select Committee, formed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for promoting questionable claims. It stated that the committee knowingly used false testimony to advance its narrative.
Cheney, who served as vice chair of the January 6 Select Committee, was an outspoken critic of Trump and did not shy away from suggesting criminal charges against him in the committee’s final report. “No man who would behave that way at that moment in time can ever serve in any position of authority in our nation again,” Cheney wrote. She added, “Prosecutors are considering the implications of the conduct we describe in this report, as are voters.”
With Republicans now in control of Congress and new evidence emerging, Trump made it clear he intends to highlight the actions of those who opposed him during the aftermath of January 6. “The tables have turned,” he suggested, signaling that accountability for Cheney’s alleged misconduct is now in focus.
