President Joe Biden will give January 6 committee leaders former Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) the Presidential Citizens Medal today at 5:00 PM ET.
I’m laughing.
Cheney and Thompson are two of 20 people who will receive the medal. From The AP:
Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to 20 people in a ceremony Thursday at the White House, including Americans who fought for marriage equality, a pioneer in treating wounded soldiers, and two of the president’s longtime friends, former Sens. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.“President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House said in a statement. “The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.”
The J6 committee recommended Trump “and conservative lawyer John Eastman for criminal prosecution because of their alleged efforts to subvert the peaceful transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6.”
The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest civilian medal. Former President Richard Nixon created the medal to honor those who “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”
A statement by the White House applauded Cheney, claiming she “has raised her voice — and reached across the aisle—to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together.”
I’m laughing even more.
Biden still has time to award blanket preemptive pardons for people like Cheney and Thompson:
Mr. Biden is considering blanket preemptive pardons for prominent critics of Trump from both parties to protect them from possible “retribution” or legal prosecution by the incoming administration, multiple people familiar with the ongoing discussions told CBS News earlier this month. Among those who were under consideration are Cheney, Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who served on the Jan. 6 select committee while in the House, and retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has called Trump a “fascist.”
Well, as Elizabeth pointed out, Cheney might need that pardon because the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight recommended criminal investigations into Cheney for alleged witness tampering during the J6 hearing.
Now I’m laughing so hard I’m snorting.
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