2025 isn’t going to be a good year for Liz Cheney.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Thursday that House Republicans will launch a comprehensive investigation into the now-defunct House Select Committee that was formed to probe the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This committee, which was widely criticized for its partisan approach, continues to be a point of contention for many conservatives, who view it as an effort to undermine President Trump and the Republican Party.
Johnson took to the social media platform X to criticize President Biden’s decision to award the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), two key members of the January 6 committee. Responding to a New York Post tweet about the two lawmakers, Johnson sharply condemned the move, claiming that Biden was “foolishly giving an award to members of Congress who intentionally and repeatedly lied to the American people.”
The Louisiana Republican added that the January 6 committee had manipulated evidence and fabricated a narrative in an attempt to damage President Trump. He called out the committee for even bringing in a TV producer from the mainstream media to try and give legitimacy to what he and many others believe was a politically motivated investigation.
Johnson made it clear that House Republicans would continue their inquiry into the actions of the disbanded committee, vowing that the investigation would be fully funded and continue into the next Congress. This comes after a December report by House Republicans which blasted the January 6 committee as a “political weapon” created to deceive the public and unfairly blame Trump for the violence of that day. The report also suggested that Cheney should face a criminal probe for witness tampering, citing her communications with Cassidy Hutchinson, a key witness who testified against Trump.
Cheney has rejected these allegations, defending her role on the committee and denouncing efforts to discredit its findings. However, Republicans remain determined to pursue accountability, seeing the investigation as critical to exposing the committee’s political bias and restoring fairness to the narrative surrounding January 6.