Cheney says it’s possible Jan. 6 panel will make criminal referral against Trump
by Natalie Prieb - 07/03/22 10:22 AM ET
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that it’s possible that the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol will make a criminal referral against former President Trump.
During the interview on ABC’s “This Week,” the network’s chief Washington correspondent, Jonathan Karl, asked Cheney — who serves as the vice chair on the committee — whether the panel’s hearings have demonstrated that Trump should be prosecuted.
“Ultimately, the Justice Department will decide that,” Cheney responded. “I think we may well as a committee have a view on that. And if you just think about it from the perspective of, what kind of man knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his own vice president is under threat, when the Congress is under threat?”
“It’s just very chilling. And I think certainly we will continue to present to the American people what we’ve found,” she added.
When pressed by Karl, Cheney said that it is possible the committee will officially make a criminal referral. She also noted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) doesn’t need to wait for the panel to make a decision in order for them to make its own criminal referral.
Last month, the committee’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), sparked criticism after saying that the panel would not make a criminal referral, claiming that it’s “not our job.” Thompson clarified soon after making his comments that the decision to make a referral remained a possibility.
Cheney’s comments follow ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony last week to the panel about the former president’s behavior during the attack on the Capitol. Cheney told Karl in a previously released portion of the interview that she wholeheartedly believes in Hutchinson’s credibility.
“I am absolutely confident in her credibility. I’m confident in her testimony,” Cheney said. “I think that what Cassidy Hutchinson did was an unbelievable example of bravery and of courage and patriotism in the face of real pressure.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/3544997-cheney-says-its-possible-jan-6-panel-will-make-criminal-referral-against-trump/