A little over 24 hours ago, Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney read text messages sent to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows from the likes of Fox News Channel hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham as well as Donald Trump, Jr. imploring Meadows to get then President Trump to call off his supporters who had stormed the Capitol to try to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Meadows, himself a former GOP Congressman, had been co-operating with the January 6th Committee by providing his communications before abruptly making an about face last week and refusing to testify. The Committee has recommended Congress vote Meadows in contempt and refer him to the DOJ for prosecution.
Cheney's remarks predictably have Fox News in a lather. When Geraldo Rivera confronted Hannity for his behavior, Hannity's tag team partner Dan Bongino chided Rivera for stabbing Trump in the back. Mind you neither Hannity nor Bongino are questioning the veracity of what Rivera said. But to speak the truth is akin to stabbing Trump in the back. That is all that matters. The truth be damned.
But what struck me most about Cheney's remark was her declaration that the January 6th Committee "is not like other congressional inquiries." She explains:
Our Constitution, the structure of our institutions and the rule of law – which are at the heart of what makes America great — are at stake. We cannot be satisfied with incomplete answers, or half-truths; and we cannot surrender to President Trump's efforts to hide what happened. We will be persistent, professional and non-partisan. We must get to the objective truth and ensure that January 6th never happens again.
Unfortunately, apart from Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and maybe a few other brave souls, Republicans want incomplete answers, half-truths (if even that) and Donald Trump's restoration to the White House. They do not want professionalism and non-partisanship. Above all else, January 6th isn't the end but rather the beginning.
And those in Congress who support Trump's claims (or are at least afraid to oppose them) will do everything they can to obfuscate the proceedings between now and the 2022 mid-terms when Republicans are expected to win back both Houses of Congress and with a very good chance of Cheney not being part of the next Congress at all. Of course, 11 months in politics is an eternity. But if Republicans come back to power in Washington, all efforts to hold former President Trump to account for what happened on January 6, 2021 will cease with GOP efforts turning their attention to impeach Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over matters of policy rather than high crimes and misdemeanors.
When all is said and done I hope Liz Cheney is right and that the January 6th Committee will not be like other congressional inquiries and that it will result in former President Trump will be held to account for his actions on January 6, 2021. But there's a strong possibility that this will have the fate of other congressional inquiries. A well written report which is forgotten and gathers dust on some shelf. There is also the possibility that should Trump return to power he will seek vengeance on Cheney and the other members of the January 6th Committee by "investigating the investigators."
Liz Cheney and the January 6th Committee have a finite amount of time and no margin for error. I wish them well.
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