President Joe Biden is awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to the heads of the Jan. 6 committee.
On Thursday, Biden announced a slew of awardees, including We Were Soldiers Once … and Young author Joseph Galloway, attorney Mary Bonauto of Obergefell v. Hodges fame, and former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd. The two sure to turn the most heads, however, are Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who served as the heads of the Jan. 6 committee.
“Throughout two decades in public service, including as a Congresswoman for Wyoming and Vice Chair of the Committee on the January 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together,” Cheney’s nomination read.
“Born and raised in a segregated Mississippi, as a college student inspired by the Civil Rights movement, Bennie Thompson volunteered on campaigns and registered southern Black voters. That call to serve eventually led him to Congress, where he chaired the House January 6th Committee — at the forefront of defending the rule of law with unwavering integrity and a steadfast commitment to truth,” Thompson’s nomination read.
Biden’s move serves as a final salvo against President-elect Donald Trump. Cheney, in particular, has made a career after her landslide primary loss as a Republican opponent of Trump, even campaigning alongside outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris to prevent him from retaking the presidency.
Cheney was accused of witness tampering while on the panel after she communicated with at least one witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, without her attorney’s knowledge. Charges have been floated against her over the misconduct.
A December report from the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee recommended that the FBI investigate Cheney’s conduct while on the panel. Trump backed the recommendation.
“Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee, which states that ‘numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI,’” he said in a post on Truth Social.
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One of the final controversies before the election centered on the former Wyoming congresswoman when Trump suggested she should be sent to a warzone days before Nov. 5. Cheney characterized the comment as a threat to her life.
Though polls found a majority of people found the Jan. 6 committee fair, its report and recommendation of charges against Trump failed to have a decisive effect on the 2024 election, with Trump sweeping every swing state and the popular vote.