Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney sharply criticized Republican leaders on Wednesday before voting in favor of a select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
It was the latest attempt by the high-profile Republican to hold former President Donald Trump accountable for his actions before, during and after the deadly riot.
“Since January 6th, the courage of my party’s leaders has faded. But the threat to our Republic has not,” Cheney wrote in a statement. “On an almost daily basis, Donald Trump repeats the same statements that provoked violence before. His attacks on our Constitution are accelerating. Our responsibility is to confront these threats, not appease and deflect.”
Only two Republicans – Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois – joined Democrats in voting to create the select committee, while 190 House Republicans opposed the bill.
A source familiar with the matter said the Wyoming Republican hasn’t spoken to Pelosi yet about serving on the committee.
Cheney, the former No. 3 House Republican, was the highest ranking Republican who supported the impeachment of Trump on the charge “incitement of insurrection” in January.
But in May, after she had for months publicly rejected Trump’s lie that he won the 2020 presidential election, the House GOP ousted Cheney from her leadership position in a voice vote behind closed doors.
A week later, Cheney and 34 other House Republicans joined Democrats in voting for a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the attack. The bill passed the House but Republicans blocked it in the Senate.
Cheney said Wednesday that the January 6 riot was “the most serious attack” on the Capitol since 1814, when British troops marched into Washington and set it on fire.
“Our nation, and the families of the brave law enforcement officers who were injured defending us or died following the attack, deserve answers,” said Cheney. “I believe this select committee is our only remaining option.”
“We must ensure that what happened on January 6, 2021 never happens again,” she added.
After her vote for the committee, Cheney hugged Gladys Sicknick, the mother of fallen Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
This story has been updated with additional details.
