- GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will serve as vice chair of the January 6 select committee, chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson announced.
- Cheney has "demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers," Thompson said.
- Cheney voted to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection and lost her position in House leadership.
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GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will serve in the number-two spot as vice chair of the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.
"Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people," the committee's chair, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, said in a Thursday statement.
"Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort," he added.
Cheney, who has represented Wyoming's at-large district since 2017, was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol riot and was subsequently voted out of her position as House GOP Conference chair, replaced with the far more Trump-friendly Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.
"We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th. We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete," Cheney said in a statement in which she accepted the vice chair post.
The select committee is made up of nine members. Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are the only two Republicans following a dustup between Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy that resulted in McCarthy pulling all of his Republican selections from the committee.
"It's important to everyone that the Select Committee's leadership reflect the bipartisan effort we are engaged in," Thompson continued in his statement. "We are fortunate to have a partner of such strength and courage, and I look forward to continuing our work together as we uncover the facts, tell the American people the full story of January 6th, and ensure that nothing like that day ever happens again."
The committee held its first public hearing on July 27, and has issued multiple sweeping requests to produce or preserve records from government agencies, telecommunications companies, and social media platforms of individuals involved in the events leading up to January 6.
The committee's records preservation requests could implicate a slew of individuals, including Trump family members and Republican members of Congress who vocally supported the former president's attempts to overturn and subvert the 2020 election results.
McCarthy on Tuesday came out swinging against the committee's latest moves and threatened telecommunications companies that "a Republican majority will not forget" if they comply with the records preservation requests.
