Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has indicated that she supports a federal criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump over his role in inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, as reported by NBC. This week, House Republicans voted to remove Cheney from a position of party leadership over her refusal to go along with the lies that Trump and some of his top allies have told about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, which they falsely claim was somehow rigged for Joe Biden. The Capitol rioters operated under the pretense of those lies.
As Cheney put it to NBC:
‘I think the American people have to know [what happened on January 6]. And certainly any president who did what we know this former president did has got to be investigated criminally.’
At present, Trump is already under criminal investigation by local authorities in Manhattan over corruption issues at his family business, and he is also facing a criminal investigation from an Atlanta-area district attorney over his efforts to get Biden’s presidential election victory in Georgia overturned. In February, a spokesperson for the office of D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine confirmed that the team was “still examining potential prosecution against Trump for inciting violence related to the attack on January 6,” as summarized by a CNN report, and prior to that revelation, Racine had already stated that his office was “collaborating at a high level with federal prosecutors.”
As for Cheney, she has indicated that she does not intend to suddenly begin going along with Trump’s election lies, no matter the criticism for her position from fellow Republicans. After House Republicans removed her from party leadership on Wednesday, she said that she would be working diligently to help keep Trump from ever again regaining the presidency, if he decides to run for president again. At present, it’s unclear what Trump will choose, but pledging to campaign against him if he decides to go for it is a pretty blunt step!
