‘Malicious and cowardly’: A former Republican Representative lashes out at Trump amid January 6th conflict
Trump said he would come for those he feels have wronged him, and he’s doing just that. In a roundabout sort of fashion. Former Republican Liz Cheney is now directly in the line of fire after House Republicans have mapped out the case alleging she broke “numerous federal laws.”
A report was released on Tuesday from House Republicans, which pushes for an FBI Investigation into Cheney. Cheney has served as one of the committee members in the January 6 Insurrection case against Donald Trump. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, the chair of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, has been working for the last two years on his report surrounding the events of Jan. 6. He shifts the blame away from Trump and instead onto Democrats, law enforcement, and local intelligence. He also recommends the FBI look into Cheney and her handling of witnesses.
Cheney has responded to Loudermilk’s allegations via the social media site Bluesky, calling them a “malicious and cowardly attack on the truth.” Trump responded to the report via his own site, Truth Social. “Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee, which states that ‘numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.”
Did Cheney tamper with a witness?
The allegations surrounding witness tampering are about Cheney’s relationship with one key witness, Cassidy Hutchinson. Hutchinson, a White House aide during Trump’s first administration, was a star witness in the Jan. 6 committee. When she first came forward to provide evidence to the committee she was represented by a lawyer who had once worked in the Trump administration’s White House Counsel’s Office. After meeting with Cheney, Hutchinson proceeded to change her lawyer before delivering damaging testimony.
Loudermilk’s report asserts that Cheney should be investigated for her dealings with Hutchinson. Whether or not they were carried out in violation of a federal obstruction statute that prohibits witness tampering. Hutchinson is also accused of lying under oath in the report, which further implies that Cheney may have pushed her to commit perjury. Cheney has, of course, lambasted the report, saying it “instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did.”
Former U.S. attorney and F.B.I. official Chuck Rosenberg has stated that an investigation of Ms. Cheney could be difficult to push toward criminal charges. “I believe that in order to go to jail there has to be compelling evidence that you committed a crime. That does not seem to be the case here.”Cheney is certainly not the first person who has opposed Trump that he has threatened to lock up. Trump often threatens jail time to opponents. Throughout his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump often chanted “lock her up” when referring to his opposition Hillary Clinton.
Trump is being somewhat careful when it comes to how involved he appears in these proceedings. Though he has openly stated his desire for revenge against those who “wronged” him, he is careful not to appear to lead the investigations themselves. Instead, they will run through those loyal to him, such as his pick to lead the F.B.I., Kash Patel. In an interview with Meet the Press, when asked if he would go after his opponents, he distanced himself, saying of Patel, “I mean, he’s going to do what he thinks is right.” Trump also has a habit of removing anyone who disagrees with him from office, so do what is right may appear to come across as do what I want, or get out.
It will be interesting to see whether the FBI can find any evidence of wrongdoing in this case involving Cheney. As Rosenberg stated, there doesn’t appear to be evidence of a crime. Cheney, too, appears confident that isn’t at risk, writing, “no reputable lawyer, legislator, or judge would take this seriously.”
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