Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (R), the de facto leader of the Republican Party’s anti-Trump RINO contingent, has long been a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump.
However, Cheney recently went beyond simply criticizing Trump and accused him of unlawful conduct with regard to his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
“Absolutely clear”
According to the Washington Examiner, Cheney made that assertion to CNN host Jake Tapper during a Sunday appearance on State of the Union.
“It is absolutely clear that what President Trump was doing … was unlawful.”
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) responds to a New York Times report saying the Jan. 6 committee has evidence to make a criminal referral for former President Trump to the Justice Department. #CNNSOTU @CNNSotu pic.twitter.com/Aftprmjmd4
— CNN (@CNN) April 10, 2022
Cheney sits as a member of the committee investigating the Jan.6 Capitol riot, and she said that the former president is criminally culpable for what transpired that day.
“I think it is absolutely clear that what President Trump was doing, what a number of people around him were doing, that they knew it was unlawful. They did it anyway,” Cheney told Tapper.
“I think what we have seen is a massive and well organized and well planned effort that used multiple tools to try to overturn an election,” she insisted.
Denies new reports
Cheney then referenced comments made by United States District Court Judge David Carter during a ruling last month.
“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” Fox News quoted Carter as stating.
However, the Wyoming congresswoman acknowledged that the committee has yet to reach a decision regarding whether or not to refer Trump to the Justice Department for prosecution.
She also denied reports that a sense of division has grown among committee members on the wisdom of a criminal referral.
“The committee is working in a really collaborative way to discuss these issues, as we are with all of the issues we’re addressing,” Cheney said. “And we will continue to work together to do so. So, I wouldn’t characterize there as being a dispute on the committee.”