Republicans on Tuesday launched a report reviewing the “failures and politicization” of the now-disbanded Home Jan. 6 committee, capping their investigation by recommending a felony investigation into former Rep. Liz Cheney.
The 128-page interim report forwards most of the claims circulated by the GOP for the reason that committee was organized, complaining the Jan. 6 choose committee was improperly constituted and unfairly pinned blame on President-elect Trump.
“Speaker Pelosi’s multimillion-dollar Select Committee was a political weapon with a singular focus to deceive the public into blaming President Trump for the violence on January 6 and to tarnish the legacy of his first Presidency,” the report states.
The report’s conclusion additionally requires an FBI investigation into Cheney, accusing her of witness tampering by being in contact with star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White Home aide.
It’s a declare that if pursued would probably face important roadblocks however that nonetheless comes as Trump has recommended members of the Jan. 6 panel ought to “go to jail” for his or her work.
The suggestion and the panel’s report at giant was excoriated by Cheney.
“January 6th showed Donald Trump for who is 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,” Cheney mentioned in an announcement noting the quite a few Republican witnesses who testified earlier than the panel.
“Chairman [Barry] Loudermilk’s (R-Ga.) ‘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.”
On the core of the report’s assertions are Cheney’s contacts with Hutchinson, who was beforehand represented by one other lawyer earlier than altering illustration and finally agreeing to testify earlier than the panel in a blockbuster listening to.
Hutchinson’s preliminary lawyer, Stefan Passantino, was accused of encouraging her to say she remembered little in regards to the day and mentioned she would be capable to get a superb job in Trump world.
The interim report reveals texts between Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah Griffin, one other former White Home aide, and accuses Griffin of appearing as a backchannel between the 2 girls.
It later notes that Hutchinson reached out to Cheney, with the lawmaker in her personal guide noting she suggested the aide to hunt an lawyer as “each witness deserves an lawyer who will symbolize their pursuits completely.
Any such inquiry into Cheney would increase a litany of different authorized questions.
Cheney would probably assert that any actions she took by her work on the panel are protected by the Speech and Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from courtroom motion associated to their work.
Witness tampering may additionally show a tough route in courtroom, as such prices usually relate to encouraging a witness to lie or shift their story – allegations Hutchinson initially leveled at Passantino.
Whereas the report likewise suggests some elements of Hutchinson’s testimony had been inaccurate – together with her relaying a narrative instructed to her by others claiming to have witnessed Trump lunge at his driver — it doesn’t make any suggestions concerning her.
“It is unusual—and potentially unethical—for a Member of Congress conducting an investigation to contact a witness if the Member knows that the individual is represented by legal counsel,” the interim report states.
Loudermilk, chair of the subcommittee that assembled the report, was beforehand scrutinized by the disbanded Home panel after he gave excursions of the Capitol to 2 males who later participated within the march to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
He’s additionally accused the panel of deleting proof it collected, a declare countered by members of the panel who say they retained all the things they had been legally required to, which has since been publicly posted on a authorities web site.
“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,” Cheney mentioned.
“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.”
Loudermilk instructed The Hill final week that he’s hopeful management will create a brand new choose committee within the subsequent Congress to judge Capitol safety.
“I’m not confident we’re any more secure than we were back then,” he mentioned.
Emily Brooks contributed.
