Rep. Liz Cheney slammed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich over his comments suggesting that Jan. 6 committee members could face jail time under a GOP-controlled Congress.
The Wyoming Republican accused Mr. Gingrich of being inconsiderate to the rule of law and democratic norms.
“A former Speaker of the House is threatening jail time for members of Congress who are investigating the violent January 6 attack on our Capitol and our Constitution,” Ms. Cheney tweeted. “This is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels.”
A former Speaker of the House is threatening jail time for members of Congress who are investigating the violent January 6 attack on our Capitol and our Constitution.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) January 23, 2022
This is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels. https://t.co/vpQZjTg9em
Ms. Cheney’s comments follow Mr. Gingrich’s warning that panel members, like herself, could see themselves in jail come November, when Republicans are expected to take back the House.
“I think when you have a Republican Congress, this is all going to come crashing down,” Mr. Gingrich said Sunday on Fox News. “The wolves are going to find out that they’re now sheep, and they’re the ones who are in fact, I think, face a real risk of jail for the kinds of laws they’re breaking.”
Ms. Cheney, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, and fellow anti-Trump Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois are the only GOP members of the Jan. 6 panel.
Seven Democrats also sit on the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat.
How each party sees the committee and its investigation falls on partisan lines.
Democrats support the panel as a necessary probe to figure out how the last year’s Capitol attack occurred, while many Republicans view it as a means to attack GOP members and their supporters.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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