Liz Cheney, a former member of the January 6 Committee, stated Monday that she should not face jail time over allegations of destroying 117 files related to the panel’s work after President-elect Donald Trump accused members of the committee on Sunday of destroying evidence that he claims would have cleared him of any wrongdoing. The allegation arose after Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who headed the House Administration Committee’s oversight investigation, revealed in January that his computer forensic team had discovered 117 missing files, which were presumably deleted or encrypted by members of the panel.
“It’s obvious that [the J6 committee] went to great lengths to prevent Americans from seeing certain documents produced in their investigation,” Loudermilk told Fox News. “It also appears that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney intended to obstruct our Subcommittee by failing to preserve critical information and videos as required by House rules.” When interviewed by NBC’s Kristen Welker, which dropped over the weekend, Trump said members of the committee should go to jail for what they did.
“Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps.” Trump was referring to committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). “They deleted and destroyed all evidence. Just remember, the unselect committee – a year and a half of sworn testimony, and after getting all of the testimony, they deleted it, wait, and they destroyed almost everything,” Trump explained. “There’s nothing left. It’s unprecedented, and they deny you do that. In a civil case, you go to jail.”
Cheney, who enriched herself in Congress before leaving in defeat, said, “Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic,” the New York Times reported. “Donald Trump knows his claims about the select committee are ridiculous and false, as has been detailed extensively, including by Chairman Thompson,” she continued, adding: “There is no conceivably appropriate factual or constitutional basis for what Donald Trump is suggesting — a Justice Department investigation of the work of a congressional committee — and any lawyer who attempts to pursue that course would quickly find themselves engaged in sanctionable conduct.”
Trump suggested that President Joe Biden should consider preemptively pardoning Cheney and others from the committee. Democrats and media allies have urged the president to do so as well. “Biden can give them a pardon if he wants to,” Trump told NBC News’s Kristen Welker. “And maybe he should.” Here’s the relevant exchange with Welker:
“So you think Liz Cheney should go to jail?” Welker asked Trump.
“Anybody who voted in favor –” Trump replied.
“Are you going to direct your FBI director and your attorney general to send them to jail?” she followed up.
“Not at all,” Trump said. “I think that they’ll have to look at that. … They can do whatever that want.”
