Throughout former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s fall from grace with the Republican Party, Wyoming voters and President-elect Donald Trump over the last four years, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso hasn’t had much to say for or against Cheney, his former delegation colleague.
That’s changed.
On Thursday, Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily he doesn’t believe Cheney deserves the Presidential Citizens Medal that President Joe Biden is awarding her.
“President Biden was either going to pardon Liz Cheney or give her an award,” Barrasso said. “She doesn’t deserve either. She represents partisanship and divisiveness — not Wyoming.”
Cheney, Wyoming’s congresswoman from 2017-2021, was one of 20 people to be awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in a ceremony Thursday afternoon at the White House. The award represents the United States' second highest civilian honor.
Cheney lost her Republican primary reelection bid in 2022 by a lopsided margin to U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman.
The Significance
Barrasso’s comment is significant as he had until now stayed relatively neutral on Cheney since she started speaking out against Trump following his efforts to contest the results of the 2020 election.
As late as March 2021, he openly supported Cheney’s reelection bid despite already differing with her on the issue of Trump’s impeachment. But by the next summer he was distancing himself from her, saying on Fox News she had a lot of work to do if she hoped to be reelected.
Over the past year, Barrasso has aligned himself much more closely with Trump than in the past, campaigning on Trump’s behalf this year and making a number of public appearances with the president-elect.
It’s likely these moves were made in relation to the fact that he’s now the No. 2 ranking member of the Senate as majority whip, a bid Trump endorsed. It’s been the goal of Senate Republicans entering the upcoming session to present more of a united front than they’ve had in the past.
Cheney has moved in the opposite direction of Barrasso over the last four years, becoming one of the foremost Republican voices to speak against Trump, which was the biggest reason she lost her reelection bid.
She campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris this fall.
“Throughout two decades in public service, including as a congresswoman for Wyoming and vice chair of the committee on the Jan. 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency,” the White House said in a statement explaining the award. “Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together.”
What’s It For?
Biden is awarding Cheney for her role as the vice chair of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Also being awarded is the committee chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi.
Trump has said Cheney and other members of the congressional panel should be jailed for their roles in the inquiry into his alleged role in starting the Capitol riot.
During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” earlier in December, the president-elect said that “Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps,” claiming without evidence they “deleted and destroyed” testimony they collected.
“Honestly, they should go to jail,” he said.
Comments like these have led to rumors that Biden may preemptively pardon Cheney to shield her from a potential criminal investigation once Trump takes office. However, giving Cheney the Citizens Medal could now mean it’s less likely that he will preemptively pardon Cheney.
“President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House said in a statement. “The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.”
Former Wyoming state legislator Tom Jones, who supports Cheney, doesn’t believe giving her the medal will change the likelihood of whether Trump’s Department of Justice pursues a criminal investigation against her or not.
“He’s going to do the worst thing you could do no matter what,” he said.
Others receiving awards include a woman who fought for same-sex marriage rights, a pioneer in treating wounded soldiers, and two of the president’s longtime friends.
Reaction
Although outgoing state Rep. Clark Stith, R-Rock Springs, supported Cheney’s 2022 campaign, he said he now regrets doing so.
“I was really disappointed with what she did on Jan. 6,” Stith said. “I don’t know what planet she’s on.”
Jones is of the opposite opinion, although he admits Cheney’s popularity in Wyoming has clearly waned based on the result of her 2022 loss and Trump winning Wyoming by a larger margin than any other state this year.
“I think it’s great to see her get this medal based on the sacrifices she’s made and as a way of saying it’s important to protect the Constitution and the rule of law,” Jones said.
Jones, a Republican, believes that Cheney has done the right thing by speaking against Trump, a move he sees as transcending partisan politics.
“If you have any belief in the Constitution and rule of law, you have to support her,” he said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
