Liz Cheney receives presidential medal for leading Jan. 6 investigation

President Joe Biden presented former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., with the second-highest civilian honor, the Presidential Citizens Medal, during a Thursday ceremony. Biden honored several civilians alongside Cheney, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who worked with Cheney leading the congressional probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service to their country or their fellow citizens, according to a White House statement. Recipients share a common decency and commitment to serving others, and America is better off because of that dedication, the statement continued.

The former Republican congresswoman represented Wyoming in the lower chamber from 2017 to 2023, during which time she held the third-highest position in House GOP leadership by chairing the House Republican Conference. Cheney became known as a party turncoat after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. She lost her seat in the 2022 primary and came out campaigning for Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

For what service was Cheney honored? Cheney received the award for putting the American people over her party alignment, an announcer noted during the ceremony. Though no specific action was cited, the White House apparently referenced Cheney voting to impeach Trump, and then leading the committee investigating the riots. Cheney and Thompson’s Jan. 6 committee ended its investigation by recommending that the Department of Justice prosecute Trump on, among other things, conspiracy and obstruction charges.

How have Republicans responded? House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday posted a statement on social media calling the decision to present the award to Cheney a complete joke and an utter embarrassment. He accused the Jan. 6 select committee of manipulating and destroying evidence to create a fake narrative to damage Trump. He went on to pledge that House Republicans would fully investigate the committee’s activities.

Dig deeper: Read Kevin DeYoung’s opinion piece on Cheney’s loss.