GOP Interim Report Accuses Jan. 6 Committee Member Of ‘Witness Tampering’
The newly released report by Republicans examining the “failures and politicization” of the now-disbanded House Jan. 6 committee also included a recommendation to open a criminal investigation into former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.
The 128-page interim report focuses on complaints the Jan. 6 select committee was improperly constituted and unfairly pinned blame on President-elect Trump.
“Speaker [Nancy] 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 House GOP subcommittee, chaired by Congressman Barry Loudermilk, has accused Cheney of improper coordination with key witness Cassidy Hutchinson, claiming she engaged in witness tampering by “colluding” on testimony.
The interim report shows texts between Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah Griffin, another former White House aide, and accuses Farah Griffin of acting as a backchannel between the two women.
It later notes that Hutchinson reached out to Cheney, with the lawmaker in her own book noting she advised the aide to seek an attorney as “every witness deserves an attorney who will represent their interests exclusively.”
According to The Hill, Cheney would likely assert that any actions she took through her work on the panel are protected by the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from court action related to their work.
Outlets noted that witness tampering could also be an uphill battle in court, as such charges typically relate to encouraging a witness to lie or shift their story.
Cheney strongly rebuked the interim report’s findings in a lengthy statement:
“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 said in a statement noting the numerous Republican witnesses who testified before 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 Truth Social early Wednesday, Trump hinted that Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble,” seizing on a development that has stunned Washington.
