Biden To Honor Liz Cheney, 19 Others With Presidential Citizens Medal
HuffPost
Cheney and fellow honoree Rep. Bennie Thompson helped lead the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection.
President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian medals, to 20 people on Thursday, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). Both helped lead the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The medal, which will be presented to the honorees at the White House, is awarded to U.S. citizens “who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens,” the White House said in a statement.
Cheney was recognized for having “raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency.”
Thompson was lauded for his work registering southern Black voters following the Civil Rights Movement and chairing the House committee, where he was “at the forefront of defending the rule of law with unwavering integrity and a steadfast commitment to truth,” the White House said.
Cheney’s recognition follows accusations by President-elect Donald Trump that she committed “egregious and unthinkable acts of crime” during the House panel. His assertion follows Republicans releasing an interim report last month that criticized her appointment to the panel and her performance throughout it. Thompson, in his own response, dismissed the report’s claims as “baseless” and an attempt to “rewrite history” in Trump’s favor.