U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney voted in support this week of Congress creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
On Wednesday, Cheney posted two photos of police officers and National Guard soldiers sitting on the floor of the Capitol following the insurrection earlier this year, defending her decision to vote in support of the commission.
“What happened that day must never happen again,” she said. “I urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan 1/6 commission bill. Some things must be above politics.”
Cheney was one of 35 House Republicans to support forming the commission, and so the bill is now headed to the Senate.
In a recent op-ed Cheney penned for the Washington Post, she pointed out although other branches of government are investigating the riot, it is critical for Congress to dispel misinformation circulating in the press and on social media.
“We should appoint former officials, members of the judiciary and other prominent Americans who can be objective, just as we did after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,” she wrote. “The commission should be focused on the Jan. 6 attacks.”
She also noted in a recent statement that it is common to form a commission after many major tragic events in the country, such as Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Cheney has been vocal in condemning the attack on the Capitol, even voting to impeach former President Donald Trump over allegations he incited the action with his comments shortly before the incident. This has generated considerable criticism of the representative and she was recently voted out of her position as House Republican Conference chair earlier this month.
Many congressional Republicans have downplayed the events of Jan. 6, causing a rift in the Republican Party.
