Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said at a select committee hearing that the U.S. could face violence “every four years” if those responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol riots are not “held accountable.”
“We cannot leave the violence of Jan. 6 — and its causes — un-investigated,” Cheney said Tuesday. “We must … know what happened every minute of that day in the White House — every phone call, every conversation, every meeting leading up to, during, and after the attack.”
“If those responsible are not held accountable,” Cheney continued, “and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our Constitutional Republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system. We will face the threat of more violence in the months to come, and another Jan. 6 every four years.”
“Will we preserve the peaceful transition of power? Or will we be so blinded by partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? Do we hate our political adversaries more than we love our country & revere our constitution.” @RepLizCheney #January6th #January6thCommission pic.twitter.com/E5LNwhHWyg
— Renew America Movement (@RenewAmerica) July 27, 2021
Congressional Republicans condemned the Capitol riot investigative committee as a “political charade” at a Tuesday morning press conference. (RELATED: ‘A Sham No One Can Believe’: GOP Leadership Blames Pelosi For Jan. 6 ‘Cover Up’)
“Why wasn’t there a better security posture on that day?” Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked. “[Nancy] Pelosi’s office [had ordered] that the National Guard was to remain off Capitol grounds … the discussion focused on the ‘optics.’ Why were Democrats so focused on optics? About how it would look?”
Pelosi’s office quickly issued a statement pushing back against the claims, noting that congressional leaders have no role in overseeing the everyday decisions regarding Capitol security.
“Now that the bipartisan Select Committee is beginning its work, the only tools left in House Republicans’ arsenal are deflection, distortion, and disinformation,” her office said.
The committee hearing was held after House minority leader Kevin McCarthy barred all five of his GOP recommendations from sitting on the panel. McCarthy’s move came after Nancy Pelosi rejected his request to put Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks on the committee.