On Thursday's episode of "Special Report with Bret Baier," Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) appeared on the program to discuss the anniversary of January 6, during which she threw many of her fellow Republicans under the bus. There also appeared to be confusion about Cheney's title and membership on the committee.
As he closed the segment, Baier stated he wished to speak about the "kind of process," as he asked about Cheney's title and role on the committee. "You're the co-chair of the January 6 committee, Speaker Pelosi put you in that position. Who's the ranking member of the committee?"
Rep. Cheney correctly stated, "I'm not the co-chair. Chairman [Bennie] Thompson is the chairman." When Baier offered that Cheney was the vice chair, she then correctly stated that she was.
She should have stopped there.
Cheney then went on to try to claim that she was the ranking member. "And I am the ranking Republican member by nature of when I was appointed."
Liz Cheney claims to be the Ranking member of the J6 Commission. There are huge legal implications associated with this lie, as @MZHemingway pointed out.
— X Strategies LLC (@XStrategiesLLC) January 7, 2022
Lying Liz also pushes lies about @RepJimBanks in this interview.
Nasty woman. pic.twitter.com/SEy7K6oLoF
Holy crap! Liz Cheney just falsely claimed she is the ranking member — the top representative of the GOP caucus — on the J6 committee. In fact, she was hand-selected by Nancy Pelosi and Is NOT the ranking member. Huge, huge legal implications associated with this lie.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 6, 2022
The congresswoman then went on to criticize Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), as part of "some on the Republican side who are attempting to obstruct the work of the committee," as she mentioned he "has been sending letters to federal agencies claiming that he is the ranking member of the committee, which he's not."
Rep. Cheney threw House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) under the bus as well.
"This committee is a bipartisan committee. It was constituted completely in accordance with the rules of the House and with the rules of resolution that created it. And Minority Leader McCarthy refused to name people. He pulled back all of the people that he had appointed to the committee. We are working in a nonpartisan fashion and we are going to get our work done despite attempts to try to block and obstruct," she claimed.
After Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blocked Banks and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) from being appointed to the committee, McCarthy removed his other picks. Pelosi went on to name the only other Republican, fellow RINO Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL), meaning all members have been Democratically-appointed.
The congresswoman was referring to a letter Rep. Banks sent, which his staff has spoken about. The October letter from Banks highlighted how Pelosi blocked him from fulfilling that role.
How is this a story? How can you say he “claimed” to be ranking member when—if you read the letter—it clearly states that Banks was refused the opportunity to fulfill his role… https://t.co/fLElI5bKnO
— Mitch Hailstone (@MitchHailstone) October 21, 2021
There’s no “claiming” anything. If you actually read the letter, Banks clearly points out Pelosi blocked him from fulfilling his role. In fact, that’s the whole point of the letter. Stop being ridiculous! https://t.co/fWLF4MCs5t
— Mitch Hailstone (@MitchHailstone) October 21, 2021
Rep. Banks also provided a statement to Townhall following the segment.
"Liz Cheney told another Big Lie because she didn't want to admit an obvious truth: she works for Pelosi. Liz Cheney is the Vice Chair and the Committee's charter explicitly requires a ranking member, but they don't have one. The Committee is illegitimate and violating House Rules," said Banks.
Rep. Banks has at length spoken out against the January 6 select committee and has from the start. In July, he suggested to Martha MacCallum on "Fox News Sunday" that Pelosi objected to such picks because she doesn't want "tough questions" and "she has already predetermined a narrative about Donald Trump, about Republicans." Banks also said "something like this has never happened before" and that "it's a break in precedent" that the minority party was not able to appoint members.
During his own Thursday Fox News appearance, on "Hannity," Banks referred to the Democratic theater and reaction from the day as "January 6: The Musical." The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which Banks is the chairman of, also used the phrase to highlight the Democratic reaction, also claiming that "Democrats have been yammering about January 6th to distract from their failures" and that "Democrats 1/6 talking points are repetitive, trivial and BORING."
Just earlier this week, Ranking Member Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), of the Committee on House Administration, issued a memo, "One Year Later, Little Has Changed." His memo, with original emphasis, asks, "Why was the Capitol so unprepared?"