Liz Cheney: Stefanik Calling Jan. 6 Prisoners Hostages Is ‘Disgusting’

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that House Republican Conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) saying she was concerned about the “treatment of January 6 hostages” is “disgusting.”

Partial transcript as follows:

CHENEY: Look, you’ve had two members of Republican leadership in the House on television this morning. You’ve had Mike on, again, claiming that he has the right, individually, to decide that he’s going to throw out millions of votes and ignore the rulings of the courts. You’ve had Elise Stefanik on this morning talking about the J-6 hostages. I mean, you don’t have to take my word for the fact that you can’t count on these elected Republicans to defend the Constitution. Every time they go out and give an interview. They demonstrate it themselves.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Now Elise Stefanik was on another network this morning, you just mentioned her. The quote was I have concerns about the treatment of the January 6 hostages. Hostages is a very specific word. And there are well over 1,200 people in the US legal system going through legal proceedings right now for their role in the attack that day. That word she used is exactly the word that Donald Trump uses.

LIZ CHENEY: And that’s why she’s using it. And it’s outrageous, and it’s disgusting. And if you- if you go and you look at what individuals have been convicted for, who are incarcerated, you’ll find it you know, extensively, these are people who were involved in violence against police officers in the assault on the Capitol. And it is really- it’s disgraceful for Donald Trump to be saying what he’s saying. And then for those who are attempting to enable him or attempting to further their own political careers to repeat it, it’s a disgrace. And you cannot say that you are a member of a party that believes in the rule of law. You can’t say that you’re pro-law enforcement. If you then go out and you say these people are, “hostages.” It’s disgraceful.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We have other Republican candidates for President like Ron DeSantis, who have said they are open to reviewing the cases against these defendants and considering pardons for them.

LIZ CHENEY: Look, you know, the President has- has pardon power and pardon authority. I think that it’s a very important piece that people ought to consider when they’re thinking about for whom they’re going to vote. Someone who says that they would pardon individuals who assaulted the Capitol who attempted to stop a constitutional process, who assaulted police officers- I mean, it was a bloody battle. I had police officers, one tell me that it was- it was like medieval hand-to-hand combat. The notion that the Republican Party would continue its efforts to whitewash that day. When the peaceful transition of power is at the core of the survival of our republic tells you that they’re unfit for office.

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