Rep. Liz Cheney, who went from a member of the House GOP leadership to a party outcast, laid out a roadmap for upcoming hearings of the January 6 Select Committee on Thursday.
Cheney is serving as the committee’s vice-chair as members of her party have decried it as “partisan.” She was among 10 Republican members of the House to vote for President Donald Trump’s impeachment following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
Thursday’s hearing essentially served as an eight-part launch for the committee as it prepares to issue a report on what led to the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Thursday hearing was unusual for its prime-time airing.
The committee will hold its next two hearings at 10 a.m., a more traditional time for such meetings. The second of the eight sessions will be held Monday, June 13, with the next hearing coming two days later.
Cheney said Monday’s hearing would focus on how Trump learned that allegations that the 2020 election was rigged are false. She said the third hearing would focus on how he enlisted Attorney General Bill Barr to assist in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Cheney said future hearings would focus on Trump pressuring Pence to throw out Electoral College results, how Trump pressured state officials, and how he directed people to the Capitol. Cheney said the final hearing would be on Trump’s actions as the insurrection occurred.
“You will hear that leaders on Capitol Hill begged the president for help, including Republican leader, McCarthy, who was quote ‘scared’ and called multiple members of President Trump's family after he could not persuade the President himself,” Cheney said.
Her presence was notable as a former member of GOP leadership. She took her former party to task, alleging that her colleagues supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She has since been removed from her role as a House GOP leader.
“Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues, you are defending the indefensible, there will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain,” she said.
Cheney is one of just two Republicans on the committee. The party has largely boycotted the committee after Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked several GOP members from participating.