According to reports, President Biden told the leaders of the House Select Committee on January 6th, former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, “an exemplary service to our country.” He was awarded the second-highest civilian award for his “acts of service.” White House.
“The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to citizens of the United States who have demonstrated exemplary service to their country and fellow citizens. We believe our country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice,” the White House detailed in a statement Thursday.
The White House announced Thursday that 20 people across the country will be awarded the Presidential National Medal of Honor. They include Cheney and Thompson, whom Biden praised as “brave” and having a “steadfast commitment to the truth.”
“Through 20 years of public service, including as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives and vice chair of the committee on the January 6 attacks, Liz Cheney has spoken out and crossed the aisle in defense of our country and the ideals we stand for. She has spoken out for freedom, dignity and decency, and her integrity and bravery remind us of what is possible when we work together,” the White House said in a statement from Cheney. Ta.
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As the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its final meeting on December 19, 2022, Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) give a speech , shown on the left. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“Born and raised in segregated Mississippi, and inspired by the civil rights movement as a college student, Bennie Thompson volunteered for political campaigns and registered as a black southern voter. His call to service. But he eventually led him to Congress, where he served as chairman of the House Jan. 6 Committee, where his unwavering integrity and unwavering commitment to the truth have led him to the forefront of defending the rule of law.” It is written in the statement.
Mr. Thompson served as chairman of the January 6 selection committee, and Mr. Cheney served as vice-chairman. The January 6 Commission was established in July 2021 to investigate the incident. previously broke into the U.S. Capitol. The committee's investigation on January 6 was conducted when Democrats held the House majority.
The committee will conclude its 18-month investigation in 2023 after Republicans regain the House majority and issue a judicial reference recommending criminal charges for their involvement in the breach of the Capitol by President Trump's supporters. Sent to the Ministry.
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Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi) speaks as the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol holds a hearing on June 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
The committee was comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, Rep. Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, both of whom have since left office.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Thursday reacted to Biden's decision to award the medal to Cheney in comments to FOX Digital, saying that former He accused her, an elected official, of “representing partisanship and divisiveness.”
“President Biden either pardoned Liz Cheney or gave her an award. She deserves neither. She represents partisanship and division, not Wyoming.” said.
Republican elected officials and President-elect Donald Trump have slammed the committee and its leadership for years, and a recent Republican House report related to her role on the former select committee. It calls on the FBI to investigate Cheney for “possible criminal witness tampering.”
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Former Philadelphia Police Chief Al Schmidt testifies before Congress. (Jabin Botsford/via Pool REUTERS/File)
“Based on the evidence available to this subcommittee, it is likely that a number of federal laws were violated by Liz Cheney, former vice chair of the January 6th task force, and that these violations are subject to a federal investigation. should be investigated by the Department,” said the report released last year. by the month House Management Subcommittee Oversight Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said, “Evidence uncovered by the subcommittee shows that former Rep. Liz Cheney secretly communicated with Hutchinson without Hutchinson's attorney's knowledge and that at least one He revealed that he had tampered with the witness, Cassidy Hutchinson.
Cheney and Thompson condemned the report in comments to Fox Digital last month.
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“The committee's hearing and report on January 6th was attended by numerous Republican witnesses, including many of President Trump's own White House, campaign, and administration officials,” Cheney said. “All of this testimony was painstakingly documented in thousands of pages of records and published with an extremely detailed and carefully sourced 800-page report. “They are willfully ignoring the Select Committee's extensive evidence,” and instead fabricating lies and defamatory claims to try to cover up what Donald Trump did. Their claims do not reflect consideration of actual evidence, which is factual. No reputable lawyer, legislator, or judge would take this malicious and vile attack on the truth seriously. ”
president biden (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File)
Cheney was the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives until her colleagues ousted her as chair of the Republican conference in 2021. Cheney lost her 2022 re-election primary to Trump-backed Representative Harriet Hageman.
House Republican report alleges “deletion of records and suppression of evidence” of Jan. 6 committee
The report followed speculation that Biden may issue a presidential pardon to Cheney before leaving the Oval Office. Late last year, Trump renewed his long-standing criticism of Cheney and the 1/6 Commission, suggesting she and Thompson could face prison terms.
“Cheney, along with Thompson and others on the unelected committees of Congress, did an unforgivable thing.” political thugs, and, you know, creepy,“They deleted all the evidence and destroyed it,” he said in an interview with NBC.
“And Cheney is behind it, and so is Bennie Thompson and everyone on that committee,” he continued. “Honestly, they should go to jail for what they did.”
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According to the Associated Press, the Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest honor a civilian can receive from the president, after the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
