“We’ll make a decision as a committee on that,” the Wyoming Republican told ABC News when asked about the possibility of firing Trump for prosecution and saying “yes” when asked. whether a Trump dismissal was possible.
“The Justice Department doesn’t have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral, and there could be more than one criminal referral,” Cheney said.
Meanwhile, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican on the Jan. 6 committee besides Cheney, told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that Cassidy’s testimony had “been inspirational to many people” and that other witnesses have come forward since his explosion. revelations last week, adding, “There will be a lot more information – and stay tuned,” without giving further details.
Kinzinger said on “State of the Union” that he would not “go into who or any of these details” about potential new witnesses, but noted that “every day we get new people who present” to the committee.
In his testimony, Hutchinson said former White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato told him that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of the car and lunged at Secret Service agent Bobby. Engel on January 6 when told they were returning to the West Wing and not the Capitol.
Since then, Hutchinson’s sworn testimony has been questioned by some Trump allies, not to speak under oath.
When asked by Bash if Ornato would testify before the committee, Kinzinger replied that “there is information that I can’t say yet”, adding, “But we would certainly say that Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath. We find her credible and whoever wants to vilify it, who was present firsthand, should come and also testify under oath.”
“What she said is what she heard. At no time did she say she was in the Beast with the President and saw this happen,” KInzinger added, noting that no one has come forward to challenge the fact that Trump wants to leave. at the Capitol on January 6.
Criminal referrals
The Jan. 6 committee was split on the issue of criminal removals, even though members largely agreed that Trump committed a crime when he pushed conspiracies about the 2020 election. Cheney told ABC News that the panel was likely to take a stand on whether Trump should be prosecuted.
“We may well, as a committee, have an opinion on this,” she said. “If you just think about it from the perspective of: what kind of man knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his own vice president is threatened?”
“It’s very scary, and I think we will definitely continue to present to the American people what we found,” she continued.
Cheney also said the committee had evidence supporting Trump’s fury at being told he couldn’t go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who also sits on the Jan. 6 panel, told CBS on Sunday he believed there was evidence that Trump “has engaged in multiple violations of the law and that should be investigated.”
Instead, she said they were meant to ensure that the American people had an account of what happened that day, although she acknowledged that there was “not a single thing” she learned that made her less concerned about Trump returning to the White House.
“A man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be anywhere near the Oval Office again,” she said.
Cheney, who faces a rocky climb in his re-election bid in Wyoming, said the Republican Party won’t survive if Trump is selected as the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.
Although she declined to rule out her own candidacy for the presidency, she said her focus currently lay elsewhere.
“I haven’t made a decision on that yet, and I’m obviously very focused on getting re-elected, I’m very focused on the January 6 committee, I’m very focused on my obligations to do the job that I have now,” she said. “And I’ll make a decision about 24 down the road.”
Schiff previews upcoming hearing
Schiff said Sunday that the committee’s next hearing will focus on ties between Trump’s White House and various organizations present at Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in Washington before the attack on the Capitol.
“Our very next hearing will focus on the effort to get that crowd back on the mall,” the California Democrat said. “Who was involved, who was funding it, how was it organized, including the involvement of these white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and others.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Noah Gray, Zachary Cohen, Gabby Orr, Kristen Holmes, Melanie Zanona and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.
