Cheney criticized Bannon for refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating the incident on January 6, saying his claim of executive privilege is not only invalid but also shows Trump was “personally involved” in the planning and execution of the actions on that day.
Aside from a lack of concrete evidence, Cheney’s comments reflect a growing feeling among committee members that Trump is trying to hide communications that could be used against him.
Cheney stated, “Mr. Bannon’s and Mr. Trump’s privilege claims do appear to indicate one thing: they show that President Trump was directly involved in the design and execution of January 6th.”
And rest assured, we’ll figure it all out “she went on to say.
The committee’s chairman, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, elaborated on Cheney’s claim that evidence implies Trump was “directly involved in the planning and execution of January 6” on Wednesday.
Cheney’s remarks the night before, Thompson told CNN that “plan” is relative.
As he put it, “there’s no doubt he tweeted about it from day one.” “When he did it, the majority of Americans were unaware of the significance of January 6th. He wrote the story all the way through. Planned the event, and he made it clear that if he didn’t like what was happening, he should go to Capitol Hill and express his displeasure.
So, Thompson continued, “many abandoned the rally that he had invited them to. “They then made their way up to the summit of the Hill. The rest we witnessed firsthand.”
At a pivotal hearing of the January 6 committee on Tuesday night, Cheney made statements about Bannon’s criminal contempt complaint, laying the stage for a vote by the full House of Representatives the following day. One of the two Republicans on the nine-person committee is Cheney, the vice chair and a vocal critic of Trump.
They said that after the House votes on a criminal referral, they expect the DOJ to prosecute, and that is what Cheney and Thompson said during the meeting on Tuesday.
He had extensive advance knowledge of January 6th’s events, according to the Committee’s inquiry, and likely had a key part in their formulation,” Cheney added.
Bannon had predicted that ‘all hell is going to break loose’ the day before it all happened – on January 5th.” The day, he said, would be “extraordinarily different” from what most Americans had anticipated. (S)o many people say, “If I were in a revolution, I’d be in Washington.”‘ (W)ell, this is your time in history,” she remarked on air.
On Tuesday, when asked about Cheney’s insinuation that the committee suspects Trump and Bannon conspired to plan and execute the January 6 riot, Select Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) refused to comment. However, he acknowledged that Bannon’s testimony may be essential to understanding the former President’s role.
In the days preceding up to the sixth, (Bannon) had repeated communications with the White House, according to reports. The President’s role before, during, and after the attack on January 6 is the biggest… unknown, and we’re determined to find out,” he told media.
Cheney also discussed the House Rules Committee’s interest in learning more about the January 6 planning and how Trump’s language contributed to the violence while testifying before the committee on Wednesday. Cheney said.
What happened on the sixth was triggered by the president’s language, which he still uses today. Recognizing and understanding this is critical for us. The tale goes much deeper than the President’s legitimate right to contest the results of the election in our court system, which is why we need to know what the preparations were for that day,” she said.
According to Bannon and his counsel, the committee believes his “willful failure to comply with the Subpoena constitutes a breach of federal law” because of presidential privilege, he cannot assist with the panel until those issues are settled in court.
The committee’s efforts to get a witness to comply with a subpoena were detailed in the contempt report, which was released Monday night. However, the witness refused to comply.
Anyone found in contempt of Congress is subject to a fine and a jail sentence ranging from one to 12 months. However seldom used, the criminal process rarely results in jail time — though the House’s pursuit of criminal charges against Bannon may be more about making an example of the White House’s chief strategist and sending a message to other prospective witnesses.