In an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt, Cheney — the GOP vice chairman of the House select committee investigating the events surrounding the January 6, 2021 uprising — said Trump is “guilty of the most serious dereliction of duty by any president in our country. nation’s history’ and pointed to a judge who said he probably committed crimes. He said the House committee “will continue to monitor the facts. I think the Justice Department will. But they have to make decisions about prosecution.”
“Understanding what it means if the facts and the evidence are there and they decide not to prosecute — how do we call ourselves a nation of laws? I think it’s a very serious, serious balancing act,” Cheney said.
“The question for us is, are we a nation of laws? Are we a country where no one is above the law? And what do the facts and the evidence show?” Cheney said.
He sidestepped questions about whether Trump’s Justice Department prosecution of President Joe Biden would only increase his power with the Republican Party base ahead of the 2024 presidential bid that Trump has repeatedly teased.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to think of it that way,” said Cheney, who faces a Trump-backed challenger in a primary later this month.
“I think he is guilty of the most serious dereliction of duty of any president in the history of our nation,” Cheney said of Trump. “You’ve had a federal judge in California say it’s more likely that he and John Eastman committed two crimes.”
The House committee is preparing to release its final report ahead of November’s midterm elections.
