A former federal prosecutor has dismissed House Republicans’ claims that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) broke the law for her work on the Jan. 6 committee, suggesting that the GOP report released this week “crosses the line.”
“There is nothing there,” said Elie Honig, a senior legal analyst for CNN, during an appearance on Newsnight when asked about the allegations against Cheney in the report released Tuesday. Honig firmly stated that the report did not present any valid case for criminal charges against Cheney based on her role in the select committee that investigated the January 6 Capitol attack.
Honig further explained that the report should not be seen as “a pretext” or “any sort of foundation for prosecutors” to pursue criminal charges against Cheney. He criticized the report’s recommendation to pursue criminal charges, calling it “remarkably unspecific and way off base.”
Honig noted that one of the allegations was based on the claim that Cheney had secret communications with a witness. “What she’s supposed to do? She’s an investigator, she’s a part of an investigative committee, this is what you do,” Honig said, highlighting the normal role of committee members in engaging with witnesses during investigations.
The legal analyst also expressed his concern that the report crossed a legal line in its tone. “The report does have all sorts of allegations that Elizabeth Cheney and other members of the committee and witnesses had bad motives – they didn’t like Donald Trump, they wanted to hurt Donald Trump politically,” Honig said. He added, “Even if true, it’s still not a crime with respect to Liz Cheney, and that’s where the report crosses the line.”
However, Gail Huff Brown, a fellow CNN contributor, pushed back on Honig’s analysis. She pointed out that some Americans remain concerned not just about the events of January 6, but also about the subsequent investigation.
“If it means opening up and making that transparent to everyone, even opening another investigation,” Brown said, suggesting that there might be concerns about witness tampering. “So what? Maybe there is some kind of witness tampering,” she added, emphasizing the need for full transparency.