“We certainly hope she agrees to come in voluntarily,” Cheney told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But the commission is fully prepared to consider a subpoena if it doesn’t. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Ginni Thomas’s text messages were among thousands of documents related to the January 6 uprising that Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, turned over to the select House committee investigating the attack before abruptly shutting down in December. collaborate with the panel.
In some commentaries, Ginni Thomas fervently appealed to Meadows to nullify the 2020 election results. “Help this great president stand firm, Mark,” she wrote on Nov. 10, 2020. “The majority knows that Biden and the left are trying the greatest heist of our history.”
Her text messages to Meadows, revealed in the spring, sparked calls for her husband to withdraw from Supreme Court cases related to the 2020 election. They also renewed a push from some Democrats for a code of ethics for the election. Supreme Court.
Lawmakers have emphasized that their work will continue throughout the summer, even after a hearing last Thursday concluded six weeks of televised testimony.
“The floodgates have opened,” Representative Elaine Luria (D-Va.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” noting that Thursday’s prime-time session was expected to be the last hearing as the committee initially planned its summer. . “But so many more witnesses have come forward.”
Cheney said the committee has several interviews scheduled in the coming weeks, including with more former members of Trump’s cabinet and his campaign.
Lawmakers remain focused on collecting intelligence from the Secret Service, which recently subpoenaed the commission after the agency erased the text messages dated January 5 and 6, 2021, after being requested by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security.
One of the revelations from Thursday’s hearing was that members of Vice President Mike Pence’s security agency began to fear for their lives as the attack on the Capitol unfolded, to the point where some called their families to say goodbye, according to the report. witness statements.
Cheney said she was particularly troubled by Secret Service developments, noting that she was protected by Secret Service agents for eight years when her father, Dick Cheney, served as vice president.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Cheney said, adding that those watching the hearing must recognize “the really serious and serious threat the Vice President faced. And the agents who protected him did that day.” certainly did a great service.”
On Fox News Sunday, Cheney said the commission is expecting testimonies from Anthony Ornato, a former White House deputy chief of staff, and Robert Engel, a Secret Service agent who headed Trump’s security detail. Former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Ornato told her Trump was furious with Engel as he sat in the presidential limousine on Jan. 6 after Trump was told he would not be taken to the Capitol.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on ABC’s “This Week” that he remained confident in Hutchinson’s testimony, saying the panel would “throw the doors wide” to hear from those who would dispute her testimony.
“What we have is a very credible witness in Cassidy Hutchinson telling what she heard,” he said.
“Cassidy Hutchinson will go down in history as a hero, and she never tried,” Kinzinger added. “She’s just a young woman who speaks the truth with more courage than the vast majority of men in politics today.”
Commissioners didn’t mince words about what they see as Trump’s dereliction of duty. But Cheney reiterated on Sunday that the committee has not yet made a decision on whether or not to criminally refer Trump to the Justice Department. Earlier this month, she said multiple criminal references from Trump were possible.
“I really fucking hope” [the Justice Department] currently have a criminal investigation into Donald Trump,” said Luria. “I have no direct knowledge of the status of their investigations, but what I would say is I can say that the Justice Department is closely monitoring our hearings.”
Kinzinger said he believed there is evidence that Trump committed crimes and hoped the former president would be prosecuted.
He added that he was concerned about the precedent it would set if the Justice Department didn’t prosecute him, even if it had enough evidence to do so — and sent a clear message to those who believe Trump’s baseless claims. continue to believe that the 2020 elections were stolen.
“Ladies and gentlemen, and especially my Republican friends, your leaders have been lying to you in general,” he said. “They know things that are very different from what they tell you. They know the election is not stolen, but they send out requests to raise money, they take your money and they are going to use you to stay in power. You are being abused.”
Naomi Nix and Laura Reiley contributed to this report.