U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney criticized former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday after Gingrich predicted that members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, invasion of the Capitol would be jailed for their actions.
Cheney spoke out against the elder legislator on Twitter Sunday, retweeting the clip from his interview on Fox News when he suggested members of the committee could face criminal charges.
“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,” Cheney said. “This is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels.”
Gingrich’s comments to Fox News on Sunday host Maria Baritromo that the members of the committee, most of them Democrats, could see retribution if the Republicans again hold a majority in Congress.
“I think when you have a Republican Congress, this is all going to come crashing down,” Gingrich said. “And the wolves are going to find out that they’re now sheep and they’re the ones who are going to face a real risk of jail for the kinds of laws they’re breaking.”
“It’s basically a lynch mob and unfortunately the attorney general of the United States has joined the lynch mob and is totally misusing the FBI,” Gingrich added.
Cheney and U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, are the only two Republicans serving on the committee, and Kinzinger has announced he will not seek re-election.
In reaction to Gingrich’s appearance, Kinzinger posted a clip from the movie “Billy Madison” where late comedian Chris Farley plays an angry school bus driver.
Cheney faces multiple challengers in the Republican congressional primary this August, including state Sen. Anthony Bouchard and Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman, who has been endorsed in the race by former President Donald Trump.
Cheney has not announced whether she will seek re-election.
Over the last year, Cheney has become an outspoken critic of Trump, voting to impeach him on allegations he incited the riot that saw the Capitol invaded. Prior to that, her voting record aligned with Trump more than 90% of the time.
Cheney was removed from her seat as House Conference chair following her impeachment vote and has faced severe criticism in Wyoming for the vote and subsequent criticism of Trump and the way he handled the Capitol attack.
Five people died as a result of the attack.
