Donald Trump Wants His Top Republican Critic Jailed

Donald Trump has called for the jailing of former Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican.

On Sunday morning, the former president re-posted an article on his social media platform Truth Social by John Solomon, editor of the news website Just the News, that stated, "Updated: Liz Cheney sat in interview with Secret Service driver who denied story Trump tried to commandeer presidential limo on Jan. 6 but did not include in final report."

Above the article, Trump wrote that Cheney, a staunch critic of his, "should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!"

On Sunday afternoon, Cheney responded to Trump on X, formerly Twitter.

"Hi Donald: you know these are lies. You have had all the grand jury & J6 transcripts for many months. You're trying to halt your 1/6 trial because your VP, WH counsel, WH aides, campaign & DOJ officials etc will testify against you. You're afraid of the truth and you should be," she wrote.

Newsweek reached out to Cheney via email on Sunday afternoon. This story will be updated with any provided statements.

The Context:

A new report of a released transcript interview with a Secret Service agent shed new light on Trump's actions on January 6, 2021.

The presumed 2024 GOP presidential nominee is accused of inciting the Capitol riot by spreading unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud to his 2020 election supporters. It led to a violent protest at the U.S. Capitol building as part of a larger effort to block Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

Meanwhile, Trump was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on four counts in August 2023 for his alleged role in the insurrection: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump has pleaded not guilty and said the case against him is politically motivated.

Since the riot, there have been claims that Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent's throat and grabbed the steering wheel of the presidential limousine in an attempt to join his supporters rioting at the Capitol. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, made the claim during a January 6 House select committee hearing in 2022, adding that she did not have direct knowledge of the incident, but that another Secret Service agent recounted it to her. Trump has previously denied these claims.

The newly released transcript of an interview by House investigators of a Secret Service agent who drove Trump's vehicle on January 6 disputes that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel or lunged at another agent, according to The New York Times.

What We Know:

Cheney is one of two Republicans who were part of the bipartisan select committee investigating the Capitol riot.

The select committee released its final report in December 2022. The 845-page report outlined the alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election as well as analysis of what took place on January 6. Earlier that week, the select committee made criminal referrals to the DOJ and recommended that Trump face charges.

The former president slammed the committee's report, calling it "highly partisan" and part of a "witch hunt." He also said his supporters acted "peacefully" and patriotically on January 6.

Cheney has long faced the scorn of Trump and other "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) Republicans for her criticism of the former president, including being one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him over the insurrection.

The Wyoming Republican Party also voted to censure Cheney and no longer considered her as a member of the GOP because of her opposition to the former president.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court previously announced that it was planning to hear arguments in Trump's claims of presidential immunity, responding to his federal indictment brought by DOJ special counsel Jack Smith. The former president's claims center around the idea that he had immunity while in office and could not be charged for crimes during this time.

Views:

Cheney has launched a new political action committee (PAC) which aims to stop the former president reentering the White House. She announced The Great Task PAC on Wednesday while urging others to "join me in the fight for our nation's freedom."

The PAC is named after a quote from former President Abraham Lincoln.

In a post on X, while promoting the group she is sponsoring, Cheney wrote: "The GOP has chosen. They will nominate a man who attempted to overturn an election and seize power. We have eight months to save our republic & ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval Office again."

Greg Germain, a law professor from Syracuse University, previously told Newsweek that he also does not expect the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Trump's presidential immunity claims.

"I'm fairly confident that the court will hold that Trump is not immune from claims that he attempted to interfere with the election process for personal gain, or took classified government documents while leaving office," he said.

What's Next?

The Court is expected to hear arguments on Trump's claims of presidential immunity on April 25. Trump has suggested that he'd like the presidential immunity ruling to come after the 2024 presidential election. It is currently unclear exactly when the Supreme Court will issue its final ruling on Trump's immunity claims.

Update 3/17/24, 12:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 3/17/24, 3:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.