According to reports, the chairman of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House select committee on the January 6 incursion of the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Bennie Thompson, announced Thursday he picked Rep. Liz Cheney as the panel’s vice-chair.
POLITICO reports:
“Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people,” Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement. “Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee, and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort.”
Cheney had already been serving as the de facto top Republican on the committee, one of only two appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve after GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy urged a boycott. Cheney gave an opening statement after Thompson at the panel’s first hearing, and Cheney has already had an outsize say in staffing the committee, along with the other Republican member, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). But her elevation to vice chair will give her greater sway as the panel moves forward with its investigation.
The committee has ramped up its inquiry in the last week, sending a flurry of requests to federal agencies, social media platforms, and telecommunications companies asking to preserve records and documents related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and efforts by Trump or his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
According to a statement following her elevation to the vice chairmanship, she claims she will not be “deterred by threats or attempted obstruction,” although it is unclear what types of supposed “threats” or “obstruction” she is referencing.
“Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day. I have accepted the position of Vice-Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal,” Cheney added.
