President-elect Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on former Rep. Liz Cheney, claiming she committed crimes during her role on the House Jan. 6 committee. These allegations are based on a report by Rep. Barry Loudermilk that accuses Cheney of engaging in improper communications with Cassidy Hutchinson.
According to The Hill, Trump’s claims are being challenged by legal experts and political figures who argue they lack substantial evidence and are politically motivated.
The accusations focus on Cheney's alleged encouragement for Hutchinson to seek independent legal counsel, which Loudermilk argues violated witness tampering statutes. Hutchinson had previously been represented by a Trump-funded attorney before deciding to testify more openly to the committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s report criticized Cheney’s communication as “unusual and potentially unethical.” He claims that the former representative’s actions crossed legal boundaries, particularly since Hutchinson was represented by legal counsel at the time of the alleged interaction.
In response, Cheney dismissed the allegations as defamatory, stating that they were a deliberate effort to obscure Trump’s actions on Jan. 6. Her statements emphasized the extensive evidence gathered by the Jan. 6 committee, which she argued outweighed the claims in Loudermilk's report.
Legal protections for lawmakers, such as the Speech or Debate Clause, have also been raised as a defense. Experts argue this clause shields Cheney’s actions as part of her legislative duties.
Legal analysts have largely dismissed Loudermilk’s report. Elie Honig, a former prosecutor, noted that even if the report were taken at face value, it fails to demonstrate that Cheney’s actions constituted criminal activity.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the Jan. 6 committee, defended Cheney, arguing that advising a witness to testify truthfully does not constitute witness tampering. He also criticized Loudermilk’s report as lacking credible evidence. Rep. Raskin stated, “It is not a crime in America to tell someone to testify truthfully. That’s the opposite of witness tampering and suborning perjury.”
Hutchinson testified publicly before the Jan. 6 committee after replacing her Trump-funded attorney. During her testimony, she alleged her previous counsel discouraged her from being fully transparent.
Her lawyer, William Jordan, emphasized that Hutchinson made an independent decision to change legal representation, which allowed her to provide honest and comprehensive testimony to the committee.
Trump, however, has lauded Loudermilk’s efforts and reiterated his call for members of the Jan. 6 committee to face legal consequences. He labeled the committee’s work as politically driven and corrupt.
Members of the Jan. 6 committee, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, defended the integrity of their investigation. Thompson stated that Loudermilk’s report failed to undermine the credibility of their findings.
Cheney has also called the report a “malicious and cowardly assault on the truth,” arguing it ignored the committee’s well-documented evidence. She accused the subcommittee of fabricating allegations to shield Trump from accountability. The Jan. 6 committee’s report, spanning 845 pages, has been described as thorough and evidence-based by its supporters.
In the ongoing clash, Trump’s criticism of Cheney reflects broader tensions over the Jan. 6 committee’s work and its impact on his political legacy. Legal experts and lawmakers continue to defend Cheney, maintaining that the allegations against her are without merit. Loudermilk’s report, meanwhile, faces significant scrutiny for its lack of substantial evidence and its motives.
