Schiff Addresses Rumors Of Jan. 6 Committee Infighting
Although the House Jan. 6 Committee is technically bipartisan — since it includes two Republicans — the panel has seemingly worked in lockstep as members attempt to tie former President Donald Trump to the actions of his supporters during a protest on Capitol Hill last year.
Recent reports, however, suggest that a rift was forming between Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and other committee leaders.
Specifically, sources told the Washington Post that Cheney wanted to ensure that the panel’s final report dealt almost exclusively with Trump while glossing over some of the related issues that Democrats have pushed to include.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who sits on the panel and heads the House Intelligence Committee, attempted to downplay such rumors. In a recent CNN interview, he expressed confidence that the characterization in the Post article was inaccurate.
“I would like to see a report be as broad and inclusive as possible,” he acknowledged. “We are discussing as a committee among members what belongs in the body of the report, what belongs in the appendices of the report, what is beyond the scope of our investigation. And we’ll reach those decisions in a collaborative manner.”
As for Cheney’s role in the committee’s work thus far, Schiff gave her high marks.
When asked about allegations that the Wyoming Republican is planning to use her position on the panel to propel her own career after leaving Congress, Schiff said: “I’ve never viewed it that way, and I think her role on the committee has been indispensable.”
Of course, critics of the panel’s mission have been decidedly less charitable.
Trump addressed the Post report in a statement on Truth Social, calling Cheney “a complete PSYCHO” who “has no regard for the truth as to what really happened, and is angry that the people of the Great State of Wyoming put her out to pasture in a record setting defeat.”
Referencing her resounding loss in a primary election earlier this year, the former president wrote: “She blames me for this, but she only has herself to blame.”
A Cheney spokesperson also addressed the recent report, reaffirming the lawmaker’s belief that Trump was uniquely responsible for inciting a riot. As for allegations of infighting between Cheney and other panel members, the source suggested that they likely came from staffers who were upset that material they submitted did not end up in the final report.
