Somewhere, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) is unleashing a primal scream.
Following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s explosive testimony in June 2022, then-Vice Chair of the Jan. 6 Committee Cheney was sure she had her smoking gun. Her star witness had delivered the goods on former President Donald Trump.
Upon closer scrutiny, however, it was discovered that several of Hutchinson’s allegations did not add up. It wasn’t long before the chasm between her statements and reality grew. And her bombshell testimony was discredited.
Now, it is Cheney herself who is under the microscope for “potential criminal witness tampering.” On Tuesday, House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight Chair Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) released an interim report on his committee’s findings on the events surrounding January 6, 2021, as well as their investigation into the politicization of the January 6th Select Committee, which clearly states, “This report outlines criminal recommendations against former Representative Liz Cheney.”
The first four of the top ten findings in the press release that accompanied the report pertain to Cheney:
1. Former Representative Liz Cheney colluded with “star witness” Cassidy Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge.2. Former Representative Liz Cheney should be investigated for potential criminal witness tampering based on the new information about her communication.3. Cassidy Hutchinson’s most outrageous claims lacked any evidence, and the Select Committee had knowledge that her claims were false when they publicly promoted her.
- President Trump did not attack his Secret Service Detail at any time on January 6.
- President Trump did not have intelligence indicating violence on the morning of January 6.
- Cassidy Hutchinson falsely claimed to have drafted a handwritten note for President Trump on January 6.
- Representative Cheney and Cassidy Hutchinson baselessly attempted to disbar Hutchinson’s former attorney.
4. Former Representative Liz Cheney used the January 6 Select Committee as a tool to attack President Trump, at the cost of investigative integrity and Capitol security.
The full report can be viewed here. Perhaps its most damning allegation of all is that the J-6 committee never even tried to corroborate Hutchinson’s accusations, which, had it been conducting an impartial — and ethical — investigation, would have been its first course of action.
According to the report, “Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” [Emphasis added.]
It stated, “Evidence uncovered by the Subcommittee revealed that former Congresswoman Liz Cheney tampered with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, by secretly communicating with Hutchinson without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge.”
Hutchinson’s testimony began to unravel shortly after she left the stand. She testified that Tony Ornato, former Trump Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, told her that former President Donald Trump repeatedly demanded that the Secret Service take him to the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to FOX News. She also claimed that Ornato told her that Trump had “lunged” at a Secret Service agent and tried to grab the wheel of the presidential SUV.
The Secret Service immediately disputed her allegations and said agents were ready to say so — under oath.
Additionally, Hutchinson claimed in her testimony that she had written a recommended statement for Trump on a notecard on Jan. 6, which read, “Anyone who entered the Capitol without proper authority should leave immediately,” according to The Washington Examiner.
However, shortly after Hutchinson’s testimony had wrapped up, a representative for former White House attorney Eric Herschmann told ABC News that Herschmann had written this note. “All sources with direct knowledge and law enforcement have and will confirm that it was written by Mr. Herschmann,” the representative said.
Shown a copy of the note during a Jan. 6 committee hearing, Hutchinson said, “That’s a note that I wrote at the direction of the [then-White House] chief of staff [Mark Meadows] on Jan. 6, likely around 3 o’clock.”
“And it’s written on the chief of staff note card, but that’s your handwriting, Ms. Hutchinson?” Cheney then asked.
“That’s my handwriting,” Hutchinson answered.
According to Fox News, the report concluded that “Hutchinson’s testimony to the Jan. 6 committee was crucial.” The report goes on to state:
It is unlikely the Select Committee could make its assertions about President Trump’s mood, attitude, and alleged culpability in the events of January 6″ without her comments.Hutchinson is mentioned by name in the Select Committee’s Final Report no fewer than 185 times. Inexplicably, the Select Committee discredited the multitude of legitimate witnesses who, under oath, repeatedly refuted Hutchinson’s testimony. These legitimate witnesses include senior government officials and federal agents.
Needless to say, Cheney defended herself and the Jan. 6 committee in a Tuesday statement to Fox. She maintained that Loudermilk’s report:
… intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence.January 6th showed Donald Trump for who [he] really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave.The January 6th Committee’s hearings and report featured scores of Republican witnesses, including many of the most senior officials from Trump’s own White House, campaign and Administration. All of this testimony was painstakingly set out in thousands of pages of transcripts, made public along with a highly detailed and meticulously sourced 800 page report. Now, Chairman Loudermilk’s ‘Interim Report’ intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did. Their allegations do not reflect a review of the actual evidence, and are a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth. No reputable lawyer, legislator or judge would take this seriously.
Two and a half years later, Cheney’s obsessive hatred for Trump has come to define her. Her bitterness and vindictiveness toward him has already cost her a House seat and her position as the Republican conference chairwoman. If the Trump FBI decides to act on this criminal recommendation, Cheney will need the preemptive pardon that Biden’s inner circle allegedly bandied about two weeks ago.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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