Cheney says McCarthy ‘clearly trying to cover up what happened’ on January 6
By Morgan Rimmer, CNN
Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chairwoman of the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, on Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of subpoenaing Kevin McCarthy for information the panel is seeking, suggesting the House’s top Republican is attempting to “cover up” what occurred that day.
“We’re going to evaluate our options, but we will get to the truth,” Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, told CNN, when pressed on the committee’s options for dealing with the House minority leader’s refusal to cooperate.
Earlier Wednesday, McCarthy said he would not cooperate with a request from the committee to voluntarily provide information, including details about former President Donald Trump’s state of mind during the Capitol attack and in the weeks after.
“As a representative and the leader of the minority party, it is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committee’s abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward,” the California Republican had said in a statement.
He charged that the committee “is not conducting a legitimate investigation,” citing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s rejection of some of his picks to serve on the panel, and claimed that it “is not serving any legislative purpose.”
In response, Cheney accused McCarthy of attempting to hide the truth.
“I wish that he were a brave and honorable man,” she told CNN. “He’s clearly trying to cover up what happened. He has an obligation to come forward and we’ll get to the truth.”
The committee’s request to McCarthy, detailed in a new letter, cited several previous comments made by McCarthy following the riot, including interviews where he discussed his conversations with Trump as the violence unfolded.
“As is readily apparent, all of this information bears directly on President Trump’s state of mind during the January 6th attack as the violence was underway,” it stated, offering a window into what the committee wants to discuss with the minority leader.
The panel also made clear it wants to question McCarthy about his communications with Trump, White House staff and others in the week after the January 6 attack.
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CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Annie Grayer, Ryan Nobles and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
