“We’ll make a decision as a committee about it,” the Wyoming Republican told ABC News when asked about the prospect of referring Trump for prosecution and saying “yes” when asked whether a referral of Trump was possible.
“The Justice Department doesn’t have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral, and there could be more than one criminal referral,” Cheney said.
Meanwhile, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican serving on the January 6 committee besides Cheney, told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that Cassidy’s testimony had “been inspiring for a lot of people,” and that more witnesses have come forward since her explosive revelations last week, adding “there will be way more information — and stay tuned,” without elaborating further.
Kinzinger said on “State of the Union” that he didn’t want to “get into who or any of those details” about potential new witnesses, but noted that “every day we get new people that come forward” to the committee.
In her testimony, Hutchinson said she was told by former White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of the car and lunged at Secret Service agent Bobby Engel on January 6 when he was told they were going back to the West Wing and not to the Capitol.
Since then, Hutchinson’s sworn testimony has been questioned by some Trump allies, not speaking under oath.
When asked by Bash if Ornato would testify before the committee, Kinzinger responded that “there’s information I can’t say yet,” adding, “But we certainly would say that Cassidy Hutchinson has testified under oath. We find her credible and anybody that wants to cast disparagements on that, that was firsthand present, should come and also testify under oath.”
“What she said is this is what she heard. At no point did she say she was in the Beast with the President and saw this happen,” KInzinger added, noting that no one has come forward to dispute the fact that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol on January 6.
Criminal referrals
The January 6 committee has been split on the issue of criminal referrals, even as members are in wide agreement that Trump committed a crime when he pushed conspiracies about the 2020 election. Cheney told ABC News it was probable that the panel would take a stance on whether Trump should be prosecuted.
“We may well as a committee have a view on that,” she said. “If you just think about it from the perspective of: What kind of man knows that a mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol and further incites that mob when his own vice president is under threat?”
“It’s very chilling, and I think certainly we will continue to present to the American people what we’ve found,” she continued.
Cheney also said the committee had evidence corroborating Trump’s fury at being told he couldn’t go to the Capitol on January 6.
“The committee has significant evidence on a whole range of issues, including the President’s intense anger,” she said. “You will continue to see in coming days and weeks additional detail about the President’s activities and behavior on that day.”
Instead, she said they were intended to ensure the American people have an accounting of what happened that day, even as she acknowledged there wasn’t a “single thing” she’s learned that made her less concerned about Trump returning to the White House.
“A man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be anywhere near the Oval Office ever again,” she said.
Cheney, who is facing an uphill climb in her bid for reelection in Wyoming, said the Republican Party would not survive if Trump is selected as the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.
While she refused to rule out a presidential bid of her own, she said her focus was currently elsewhere.
“I haven’t made a decision about that yet, and I’m obviously very focused on my reelection, I’m very focused on the January 6 committee, I’m very focused on my obligations to do the job I have now,” she said. “And I’ll make a decision about ’24 down the road.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
