16:56
- ABC News
- Donald Trump
- December 18, 2022
Liz Cheney's mission: Stop Donald Trump
She took the spotlight, often acting as a prosecutor and issuing dire warnings.
16:56
While exploiting his supporters, she said, Trump refused to answer calls to stop the Jan. 6 assault, even pleas from Republican allies, to do what she said his oath of office required.
\"He refused to defend our nation and our Constitution. He refused to do what every American president must,\" she said. \"In the days after Jan. 6, almost no one of any political party would defend President Trump's conduct. And no one should do so today.\"
Cheney told her Republican colleagues who supported Trump that they, too, were deceived.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/liz-cheney-trump-ap-mz-02-221218_1671372965865_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
\"It can be difficult to accept that President Trump abused your trust. That he deceived you. Many will invent excuses to ignore that fact. But that is a fact,\" she said at the close of the committee's sixth public hearing. \"I wish it weren't true. But it is.\"
Because intent needs to be proven in criminal prosecutions, Cheney repeatedly argued that Trump -- as the nation's most powerful person -- was in a \"unique position\" as president to be \"better informed about the absence of widespread election fraud than almost any other American.\"
With this, she said, there can be no defense that Trump was \"duped or irrational.\"
\"President Trump is a 76-year-old man, he is not an impressionable child,\" she said in a hearing over the summer. \"Just like everyone else in our country, he is responsible for his own actions and his own choices ... Donald Trump cannot escape responsibility by being willfully blind. Nor can any argument of any kind excuse President Trump's behavior during the violent attack on Jan. 6.\"
Comstock also noted how Cheney relied on Trump's inner circle to repeatedly establish he was told he had lost and told to do more on Jan. 6, potentially helpful to prosecutors in a trial.
\"She's a prosecutor, and she was prosecuting this case very carefully. She has established that all of those witnesses who told him he lost -- who told him there was no legal case for him to pursue -- they're all Republicans,\" Comstock said. \"So, his campaign manager [Bill Stepien], [former Attorney General] Bill Barr, [former Trump adviser] Kellyanne Conway, his daughter [Ivanka Trump], all of these witnesses who are going to testify to this when there is a trial, they're all Republicans.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/liz-cheney-trump-gty-mz-01-221218_1671372965852_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
She repeated at the committee's last hearing in October that their evidence has shown Trump to be the central cause of Jan. 6, despite having had countless chances to acknowledge the facts presented to him.
\"He had all of this information, but still he made the conscious choice to claim fraudulently that the election was stolen, to pressure state officials to change election results, to manufacture fake electoral slates, to attempt to corrupt our Department of Justice, to summon tens of thousands of supporters to Washington,\" she said. \"The vast weight of evidence presented so far has shown us that the central cause of Jan. 6 was one man, Donald Trump, who many others followed. None of this would have happened without him.\"
Throughout the hearings, Cheney made a point to thank the live witnesses for appearing, noting they might have been under immense pressure to not comply. She took particular time to praise the women who showed up.
\"She understood, maybe in a way the men on the committee might not have, the misogyny of Donald Trump,\" Comstock told ABC News. \"She knew that Trump was going to attack these women witnesses in a different way than he attacks men. She knew how dangerous that was for them, having seen it herself too, so she took care in protecting those witnesses, but also praising their bravery and really recognizing how difficult this was for them.\"
After the committee heard from Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows who was 25 when she testified, Cheney praised Hutchinson and the other women who she said showed more courage than a tranche of older men who should know better.
\"She sat here alone, took the oath and testified before millions of Americans,\" Cheney said of Hutchinson. \"She knew all along that she would be attacked by President Trump and by the 50-, 60- and 70-year-old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege. But like our witnesses today, she has courage and she did it anyway. Cassidy, Sarah and our other witnesses, including Officer Caroline Edwards, Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, are an inspiration to American women and to American girls.\"
Rep. Liz Cheney praises Jan. 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson for testifying publicly.
— ABC News (@ABC) July 22, 2022
\"She knew all along that she would be attacked by Pres. Trump and by the 50, 60 and 70-year-old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege.\" https://t.co/owxAGW2Qhw pic.twitter.com/qiiUkXSx0I
\"The fact that Cassidy had testified in the first place,\" Comstock added, \"I think, largely is because of how the hearings were being run, because she trusted Liz -- and Liz, once she had testified, basically called out Pat Cipollone since he hadn't yet.\"
At the close of the committee's following hearing, Cheney appeared to issue a warning directly to Trump.
\"After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation -- a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call, and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us. And this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice,\" Cheney said. \"Let me say one more time: we will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously.\"
\"I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns,\" Cheney said at another point.
Cheney hammered home to the American public watching that the reason the committee put thousands of hours into investigating the attack was not for partisan political purposes but to prevent another Jan. 6.
And it could very well happen again, she said.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/cheney-trump-gty-mz-09-221218_1671374993626_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
\"Our institutions only hold when men and women of good faith make them hold regardless of the political cost. We have no guarantee that these men and women will be in place next time. Any future president inclined to attempt what Donald Trump did in 2020 has now learned not to install people who could stand in the way,\" she said at the last hearing in October. \"What happens when the president disregards the court's rulings as illegitimate, when he disregards the rule of law? That, my fellow citizens, breaks our republic.\"
Speaking directly to the camera in the committee's hearing in October, she echoed the warning attributed to founding father Ben Franklin when asked whether America was a monarchy or a republic: \"a republic, if you can keep it.\"
\"Consider whether we can survive for another 246 years. Most people in most places on Earth have not been free. America is an exception,\" she said. \"And America continues only because we bind ourselves to our founders' principles, to our Constitution.\"
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/liz-cheneys-mission-donald-trump-white-house/story?id=95379999","legacySlug":"/news/story/liz-cheneys-mission-donald-trump-white-house-95379999","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"21:10","publishDate":"12-18-2022","updatedTime":"03:10","updatedDate":"12-19-2022","socialImage":{"alt":"U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, vice chairwoman of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, speaks during a Constitution Day lecture at American Enterprise Institute, Sept. 19, 2022 in Washington, DC.","credit":"Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/cheney-trump-gty-mz-11-221218_1671374839392_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"12/18/2022 21:10:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":95379999,"headline":"Liz Cheney's mission: Stop Donald Trump","mediaAssetTitle":"JAN. 6 COMMITTEE/LIZ CHENEY'S LAST STAND","description":"She took the spotlight, often acting as a prosecutor and issuing dire warnings.","duration":"16:56","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/08/220821_tw_cheney1_1001_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132266872","132055565","131830882"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 8, 2026","headline":"Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","section":"News","slug":"/video/131830882","id":"131830882","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Liz Cheney's mission: Stop Donald Trump","description":"She took the spotlight, often acting as a prosecutor and issuing dire warnings.","duration":"16:56","uploadDate":"12-18-2022","publication":"12-18-2022","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/08/220821_tw_cheney1_1001_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/08/220821_tw_cheney1_1001_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/liz-cheneys-mission-donald-trump-white-house-95379999"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Liz Cheney's mission: Stop Donald Trump","pubTime":"16:10","pubDate":"12-18-2022","modTime":"22:10","modDate":"12-18-2022","taxonomyTags":"none","id":95379999,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Liz Cheney's mission: Stop Donald Trump","mediaAssetTitle":"JAN. 6 COMMITTEE/LIZ CHENEY'S LAST STAND","videoId":95379999,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/liz-cheneys-mission-donald-trump-white-house-95379999"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/95379999","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/95379999","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};