“We will make a decision on it as a committee,” the Wyoming Republican told ABC News when asked about the prospect of referring Trump for prosecution, saying “yes” when asked if a Trump referral was possible.
“The Justice Department doesn’t have to wait for the commission to make a criminal referral, and there could be more than one criminal referral,” Cheney said.
Meanwhile, Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican sitting next to Cheney on the Jan. 6 committee, told DailyExpertNews’s Dana Bash on Sunday that Cassidy’s testimony “was inspiring to many people” and that more witnesses have come forward since her explosive revelations last week, adding “there will be a lot more information — and stay tuned,” without elaborating further.
Speaking to the State of the Union, Kinzinger said he didn’t want to “go into the details” about potential new witnesses, but noted that “new people are reporting every day” to the committee.
In her testimony, Hutchinson said she was told by former White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato that Trump tried to grab the wheel of the car on Jan. 6 and lunged at Secret Service Agent Bobby Engel when told they were going back. to the West Wing and not to the Capitol.
Since then, Hutchinson’s affidavit has been questioned by some Trump allies, without speaking under oath.
When Bash asked if Ornato would testify before the committee, Kinzinger replied that “there is information I can’t say yet”, adding: “But we would certainly say that Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath. We find her credible. and anyone who wishes to cast contempt upon that which was present firsthand should come and also testify under oath.”
“What she said is this is what she heard. At no point did she say she was in the Beast with the president and saw this happen,” KInzinger added, noting that no one has come forward to dispute the fact that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol on January 6.
Criminal References
The Jan. 6 committee is divided on the issue of criminal referrals, even as members generally agree that Trump committed a crime when he pushed conspiracies over the 2020 election. Cheney told ABC News it was likely the panel would take a position on whether Trump should be prosecuted.
“Maybe we as a committee have an opinion on that,” she said. “If you just think about it from the perspective of, what kind of man knows a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further sets that mob when his own vice president is threatened?”
“It’s very horrifying, and I think we will definitely continue to present to the American people what we have found,” she continued.
Cheney also said the commission had evidence confirming Trump’s anger when he was told he could not go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The commission has significant evidence on a range of cases, including the president’s intense anger,” she said. “You will continue to see additional details about the President’s activities and behavior on that day over the coming days and weeks.”
Instead, she said they were meant to make sure the American people would have an account of what happened that day, even though she acknowledged that there wasn’t “a single thing” she learned that would make them less concerned. made about Trump’s return to the White House.
“A man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be near the Oval Office again,” she said.
Cheney, who faces an uphill climb in her bid for reelection in Wyoming, said the Republican Party would not survive if Trump is elected as the GOP’s presidential candidate in 2024.
Although she declined to rule out a presidential bid of her own, she said her focus was elsewhere at the moment.
“I haven’t made a decision on that yet and of course I’m very focused on my re-election. I’m very focused on the January 6 committee, I’m very focused on my obligations to do the job I have now.” she said . ‘And I’ll make a decision about ’24 down.’
This story has been updated with additional information.
