Former President Donald Trump reignited his criticism of the January 6 Committee this week, alleging the panel, which investigated the Capitol breach in 2021, “deleted” evidence and targeted him unjustly.

Trump’s comments included direct accusations against former committee members Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), stating their actions warrant legal accountability.

Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed to the stage by Republican Liz Cheney to speak in Ripon, Wisconsin, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

“And Cheney was behind it. And so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” Trump said. “For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.”

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Cheney, a prominent critic of Trump and former vice-chair of the committee, responded forcefully.

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In a statement, she described the Capitol riot as “the worst breach of our Constitution by any president in our nation’s history.”

She added that Trump’s remarks about jailing lawmakers investigating him were “a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”

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The January 6 Committee was established in July 2021 by the then-Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to investigate the events surrounding the Capitol breach earlier that year.

The committee concluded its 18-month investigation in late 2022, before Republicans regained the House majority.

It recommended criminal referrals against Trump for his alleged role in inciting the riot and obstructing the certification of the 2020 election results.

Composed of seven Democrats and two Republican members—Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)—both Republicans left office after facing backlash within their party.

The committee’s work was criticized by GOP leaders, who claimed it lacked bipartisan balance.

Earlier this year, House Republicans, led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), issued a report alleging that the January 6 Committee “deleted” records and manipulated evidence to advance a political agenda against Trump.

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The report, issued by the Subcommittee on Oversight under the Committee on House Administration, accused the committee of hiring “Hollywood producers” to craft a narrative and withholding critical evidence.

Among the report’s findings, Republicans claimed that the committee failed to preserve video recordings of witness interviews and deleted over 100 files, including some in the days leading up to the Republican takeover of the House.

The report also accused the committee of withholding transcripts of interviews with witnesses who had firsthand knowledge of Trump’s actions during the Capitol breach.

Cheney dismissed these allegations, labeling them as part of a “cover-up” to defend Trump. “If your response to Trump’s assault on our democracy is to lie & cover up what he did, attack the brave men & women who came forward with the truth, and defend the criminals who violently assaulted the Capitol, you need to rethink whose side you’re on,” Cheney posted on X.

In her statement this week, Cheney reiterated that Trump’s claims about evidence deletion were “ridiculous and false.”

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She pointed to a July 2023 letter from Bennie Thompson, the former committee chair, which outlined the committee’s efforts to properly archive sensitive materials to ensure the safety of witnesses and protect national security.

Cheney also urged the Department of Justice to ensure all materials from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump and the 2020 election are preserved and disclosed in the upcoming report. “The Justice Department should ensure that all that material is preserved and cannot be destroyed. As much of that information as possible should be disclosed,” she added.

As Trump solidifies his position as the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential race, Cheney has aligned herself with Kamala Harris, joining her on the campaign trail to bolster Democratic support.

This partnership reflects Cheney’s persistent challenge to Trump’s influence in GOP politics and her alignment with Democratic strategies to prevent his return to power.