Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) delivered her opening statement during the Jan. 6 select committee hearing with a direct warning to Congress.
“The American people deserve the full and open testimony of every person with knowledge of the planning and preparation for January 6. … We must also 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. Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward,” Cheney said while delivering remarks on Tuesday.
She added, “If those responsible are not held accountable, 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.”
Watch part of Cheney’s opening statement below:
GOP Rep. Liz Cheney gives her opening statement at the first select committee hearing on January 6: “If those responsible are not held accountable and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic” https://t.co/RkqzfB6uA9 pic.twitter.com/r1OOExvtLw
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 27, 2021
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appointed Cheney to the select committee earlier this month, as IJR reported.
She has received criticism for accepting the appointment from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). McCarthy told reporters, “I was shocked that she would accept something from Speaker Pelosi.”
He added, “It would seem to me that, since I didn’t hear from her, maybe she’s closer to [Pelosi] than us, I don’t know.”
McCarthy reiterated his criticism of Cheney on Monday after a reporter suggested, “Some Republicans have been saying that the GOP should play ball on this committee.”
The House minority leader replied, “Really? Who is that like Adam and Liz? Aren’t they kinda like Pelosi Republicans?”
Pelosi added Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to the committee on Sunday, saying, “He brings great patriotism to the Committee’s mission: to find the facts and protect our Democracy.”
In a statement of his own, Kinzinger vowed to work “diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.”