Trump warns Liz Cheney ‘could be in a lot of trouble’ after Republicans call for FBI investigation – US politics live

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House Republicans accuse Liz Cheney of witness tampering over talks with star January 6 committee witness

One of the most memorable moments in the January 6 committee’s hearings was when former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described Donald Trump’s actions during the attack, recounting his demand to be taken to the Capitol and alleging he got into physical fight with a Secret Service agent when he was told no.

Republicans have since unveiled evidence that they say proves the fight never happened, and in its report released yesterday, a House administration oversight subcommittee that investigated the January 6 committee accused Liz Cheney of witness tampering for interacting with Hutchinson without her attorney’s knowledge.

Cheney was the vice-chair of the committee, and the report focuses much attention on her, saying she “colluded” with Hutchinson without the knowledge of her attorney, and used the bipartisan panel to attack Trump.

“Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, the former Vice Chair of the January 6 Select Committee, and these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the report states.

It goes on to accuse both Cheney and Hutchinson of perjury:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation must also investigate Representative Cheney for violating 18 U.S.C. 1622, which prohibits any person from procuring another person to commit perjury. Based on the evidence obtained by this Subcommittee, Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee.

Trump warns Liz Cheney 'could be in a lot of trouble' after House GOP says FBI should investigate former congresswoman

Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump stayed up late (or woke up early?) to threaten Liz Cheney, the Republican former congresswoman who lost her seat two years ago after breaking with the president-elect. In a post written shortly after three in the morning, Trump said that Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” over the findings of a Republican controlled House subcommittee that investigated the now-concluded bipartisan panel that held public hearings into the insurrection two years ago. The Republican subcommittee’s report accuses Cheney of witness tampering, saying, “numerous federal laws were likely broken by” the former congresswoman, and “these violations should be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Those aren’t just empty words, considering Trump has nominated loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI, and, based on what Republican senators have said publicly so far, he may get confirmed.

Here’s what else is happening today:

• Congress, and particularly House Republicans, are scrambling to pass a short-term government funding bill to ward off a shutdown that will otherwise begin Friday. As usual, many lawmakers do not like the compromises struck in the draft legislation released by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson, and will no doubt pipe up about it throughout today.

• The New York Times, which has had a fraught relationship with Joe Biden, has published a comprehensive look at what the president has been up to since Trump won re-election. You will learn that he appears older than ever, and even less willing than usual to entertain reporters.

• Biden has nothing public on his scheduled today, but is in Delaware to mark the anniversary of the car crash that killed his first wife and daughter.