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Liz Cheney Thwarted, There Will Be No Criminal Referral For Trump

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was just given the news that she did not want to hear, and it was given by the chair of her own committee.

Democrat Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson said that there would be no criminal referral to the Department of Justice by the January 6 House Select Committee against former President Donald Trump or anyone else, CNN reported.

“No, you know, we’re going to tell the facts,” he said to a reporter who asked if there would be a criminal referral or referrals. “If the Department of Justice looks at it and assumes that there’s something that needs further review, I’m sure they’ll do it.”

He was pressed by another reporter who asked him again if there would be criminal referrals, but his answer did not change.

“No, that’s not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it, and make recommendations after that,” he said.

To that end Rep. Thompson said that the Department of Justice can read its report and decide for itself.

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“It’s a public document. Anybody can have access to it. And if they want, after reviewing it, to come back and ask to talk to some of the staff or the members who helped produce the report, I’m sure they will,” he said

But Attorney General Merrick Garland did say that he is watching the January 6th Committee hearings.

“I am watching, and I will be watching all the hearings, although I may not be able to watch all of it live,” he said. “But I will be sure that I am watching all of it. And I can assure you that the January 6 prosecutors are watching all of the hearings as well.”

But that was not what Rep. Cheney wanted to hear and she appeared to contradict the chair of the committee.

“The January 6th Select Committee has not issued a conclusion regarding potential criminal referrals. We will announce a decision on that at an appropriate time,” the representative said in a tweet.

And Democrat California Rep. Adam Schiff appeared to be dumbfounded when he heard what the committee chairman said.

“You know, I haven’t seen the chairman’s statements,” he said. “We haven’t had a discussion about that, so I don’t know that the committee has reached a position on whether we make a referral or what the referrals might be. I thought we were deferring that decision until we concluded our investigation. At least that’s my understanding.”

“Our committee has yet to vote on whether we will recommend criminal referrals to the Department of Justice. If criminal activity occurred, it is our responsibility to report that activity to the DOJ,” Rep. Elaine Luria said.

Still, a spokesperson for the committee spoke to CNN and said, “the Select Committee has no authority to prosecute individuals, but is rather tasked with developing the facts surrounding the January 6th riot at the Capitol. Right now, the committee is focused on presenting our findings to the American people in our hearings and in our report. Our investigation is ongoing and we will continue to gather all relevant information as we present facts, offer recommendations and, if warranted, make criminal referrals.”

And Cheney has some other things she needs to be concerned about.

A new poll shows Cheney is 30 points behind her primary opponent Harriet Hageman, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump.

Hageman garnered 56 percent support, while Cheney only earned 26 percent, a 30 percent difference.

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The poll was conducted with 400 likely Republican primary voters in Wyoming from May 24-25. The margin of error is +4.9 percent.

A January straw poll revealed Hageman held a commanding lead over Cheney. The poll, conducted by the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee via secret ballot, showed Hageman won 59 votes and Cheney six, a 53-point victory by Hageman.

Business Insider published a report on Tuesday that claims Cheney may win re-election with these so-called “silent supporters” who will vote for her but won’t publicly back her.

“Despite Trump’s full-fledged efforts to oust her from Congress, Cheney — a member of Wyoming political royalty — still commands lots of respect in the Cowboy State. Her supporters, decrying Trump’s antics, say their voice exists and has so far gone unheard,” the report claimed.

“Insider spoke with nearly a dozen GOP officials and voters in Wyoming who say they reject Trump’s grip over the GOP and will vote for Cheney over his preferred challenger, Harriet Hageman, an attorney, and former Republican National Committee member. Cheney’s supporters commend her record, admire her decision to defy Trump, and have defended her against a barrage of attacks in the red state,” the report added.

Despite serious efforts from the media to boost her, Cheney is trailing in the polls to a Donald Trump-backed GOP primary candidate and has turned to Democrats for help.

“Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is turning to the same rare species in Wyoming — Democrats — to save her House seat. And Trumpist Republicans are doing everything in their power to thwart her,” Politico reported.

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