Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney hinted at potential multiple criminal referrals to the Justice Department, including former United States President Donald Trump, amid the House Select Committee's continued investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.
The Republican added that the Justice Department should prosecute the former president if warranted, arguing that not doing so would be a threat to the country's Constitution. She said that it is a much graver Constitutional threat if a president can engage in these kinds of activities and the majority of his party looks away.
Trump's Criminal Referral
Cheney said that despite being difficult, these decisions have to be made and have to be separated from politics. She said that the decisions have to be made from the perspective of what they would mean for the nation.
The lawmaker's comments came after she called Trump a "domestic threat" earlier this week during a speech at the Reagan Library in Southern California. Cheney said that the Republican businessman was attempting to unravel the foundations of the country's Constitutional Republic, as per Fox News.
Cheney is one of only two Republicans who are part of the House Select Committee, the other being Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. In recent days, the panel heard the explosive testimony of former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. The Wyoming lawmaker said the former aide was "absolutely confident" in the testimony and called her brave to come before the committee.
The lawmaker said that the panel had in its possession significant evidence about a slew of issues, including the former president's intense anger. Cheney added that Americans will continue to see in the coming days and weeks additional details about Trump's activities and behavior on the day of the insurrection.
According to CNN, Cheney's remarks came after she was asked about the prospect of referring Trump for prosecution. She noted, however, that the Justice Department does not have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral.
The Big Lie
On the other hand, Kinzinger said on Sunday that Hutchinson's testimony had "been inspiring for a lot of people." He added that more witnesses have come forward since the former aide's explosive revelations last week. He added that there will be way more information available regarding the incident.
Hutchinson said in her testimony that she was told by former White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato that the former president tried to grab the steering wheel of the car and lunged at Secret Service agent Bobby Engel on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was told that they were bringing him back to the West Wing and not to the Capitol building.
Cheney argued that millions of people and millions of Republicans have been betrayed by the former president. She noted that the situation was a painful thing for people to recognize and admit despite it being the truth.
The Wyoming Republican accused Trump of betraying his supporters' loyalty using "the big lie" and by what he continues to do and say to tear apart the United States and the GOP, the Washington Post reported.
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