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United States Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said the House’s January 6 Select Committee will issue a subpoena to former President Donald J. Trump “shortly,” during remarks at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum Tuesday evening.
The Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena Trump for documents and testimony under oath during its final public hearing on Thursday.
“There was no disagreement on the committee,” Cheney said during the IOP forum. “We all felt that our obligation is to seek his testimony, that the American people deserve to hear directly from him, that it has to be under oath, that he has to be held accountable.”
Cheney said she is operating under the assumption that Trump will “fulfill his legal obligation and honor the subpoena.”
“If that doesn’t happen, then we will take the steps we need to take after that,” she added. “But I don’t want to go too far down that path at this point.”
The event, which was moderated by former Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead and Hannah A. Bottarel ’24, also covered the future of the Republican Party and the United States’ responsibility to continue supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
Cheney said the current internal conflicts among members of the Republican Party are “not about policy disagreements,” but about values.
“The reason that I’m a Republican is because of what the party stands for,” Cheney said. “I happen to believe the most conservative of conservative principles is fidelity to the Constitution.”
“We have to get back to recognizing we all have an obligation to defend the foundations, the Republic,” she added. “That’s what provides the basis for the disagreements about policy.”
With the 2024 presidential election just over two years away, Cheney warned against voters electing Trump to a second term as president.
“I think it’s very important for the survival of the country that Donald Trump not be anywhere close to power again,” Cheney said. “That’s something we need to keep in the forefront as we go forward.”
Cheney drew on examples from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to argue that individual citizens can play a crucial role in protecting democracy.
“One of the things that I hope the committee has been able to do is make clear that our institutions don’t defend themselves,” she said. “January 6 could have been far worse if people in positions of authority hadn’t stood up.”
Cheney advocated for the American government to continue providing support for Ukraine as it fights against the full-scale invasion Russia launched in February. She also criticized House Minority Leader Kevin O. McCarthy for telling Punchbowl News that American aid for Ukraine might not be approved in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
“I don’t know that I can say I was surprised, but I think it’s really disgraceful that today, Minority Leader McCarthy suggested that if the Republicans get the majority back that we will not continue to provide support for the Ukrainians,” Cheney said.
“Ukraine is the frontline in the battle for freedom, and the world — not just America, but the world — has an obligation to make sure that Ukraine prevails,” she added.
—Staff writer Miles J. Herszenhorn can be reached at miles.herszenhorn@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @MHerszenhorn.
