Biden to award Presidential Citizens Medal to Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson, who led Jan. 6 select committee
Washington — President Biden announced Thursday that he is awarding the Presidential Citizenship Medal to Rep. Bennie Thompson and former Rep. Liz Cheneythe two lawmakers leading the bill House Select Committee to Investigate On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Capitol was attacked.
Mr. Biden will speak and present the awards to Mr. Thompson, Cheney and more than a dozen other recipients at a ceremony at the White House later Thursday.
“The Presidential Citizenship Medal is awarded to citizens of the United States of America who have demonstrated exemplary service to their country or to their fellow citizens. President Biden believes these Americans are bound together by a shared sense of decency and a commitment to serving others. This nation is a better place because of their dedication and sacrifice Better,” the White House said in announcing the winners.
Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, and Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, serve as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of a House panel tasked with reviewing events leading up to and on Jan. 6. The committee held 10 public hearings, interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and compiled more than 1 million pages of material.
its work Ends December 2022 After an 18-month investigation. committee Vote for recommendation President-elect Donald Trump and conservative attorney John Eastman have been criminally charged for allegedly trying to derail the Jan. 6 peaceful transfer of presidential power.
trump is Charged with four federal criminal counts It stems from his efforts to retain power after the 2020 presidential election, but Charges dismissed In November, after Trump was indicted by special counsel Jack Smith, Elected for re-election. The special counsel sought to end the prosecution because Justice Department policy prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
In announcing the recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the White House said that during her 20 years of public service, Cheney “raised her voice and worked across party lines to defend our country and the ideals we stand for: freedom.” Dignity and integrity remind us that if we work together, anything is possible. “
After the 2020 election, Cheney became a fierce opponent of Trump Support Harris for the president.
For Thompson, the White House said that as chairman of the January 6 Committee, he “was at the forefront of defending the rule of law with unwavering integrity and an unwavering commitment to the truth.”
Since the 2020 election, Trump has repeatedly attacked Cheney, Thompson and the January 6 Commission, claiming without evidence that they committed crimes and should go to jail. In early December, he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would “probably” pardon those convicted or guilty of the Jan. 6 actions.
Earlier this month, multiple people familiar with the matter told CBS News that Biden was considering sweeping preemptive pardons for prominent Trump critics from both parties to protect them from possible “retaliation” or possible “retaliation” from the incoming administration. Legal prosecution. Those under consideration include Cheney, California Sen. Adam Schiff, who served on the Jan. 6 select committee while in the House, and Retired Gen. Mark A. MilleyThe former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff once called Trump a “fascist.”
In addition to Cheney and Thompson, Biden will award the Presidential Citizenship Medal to Mary Bonault, a lawyer who argued the landmark Supreme Court case legalizing same-sex marriage; Bill Bradley (Bill Bradley), former NBA player and U.S. Senator; Diane Carlson Evans served as a nurse during the Vietnam War and founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation.
Former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, former Kansas Sen. Nancy Kiesbaum and former Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman will also receive the honor.
The Presidential Citizens Medal was established in 1969 and is considered the second highest civilian award in the U.S. government. It honors “citizens of the United States of America who have rendered exemplary service to their country or to their fellow citizens.”
