Liz Cheney named vice chair of Jan. 6 select committee

WASHINGTON — Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., has been named vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the panel’s Democratic chairman announced Thursday.

In a statement, Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said it’s important that the committee keep the probe bipartisan.

“We are fortunate to have a partner of such strength and courage, and I look forward to continuing our work together as we uncover the facts, tell the American people the full story of January 6th, and ensure that nothing like that day ever happens again,” Thompson said.

Cheney said each member of the committee is “dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts.”

“We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th,” she said in a statement. “We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete.”

The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to remove Cheney and the other Republican serving on the Jan. 6 committee, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, from the House Republican Conference.

"We urge you to allow consideration of a proposed change to the rules for the Republican Conference regarding committee membership," Biggs wrote in a letter to McCarthy. "This proposal is not because of a policy or political difference, but because some members have chosen to work with the Democrats to investigate and potentially remove Republican members from the House."

In recent weeks, the House select committee has been ramping up its inquiry into Jan. 6. This week, the panel said it would ask telecommunications companies to preserve the records of a group of House Republicans.

The panel has so far held one hearing, in which it heard from several police officers who were involved in responding to the January riot.