The PresidentIn a ceremony at the White House on Thursday, Joe Biden presented the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who served as chair and vice chair of the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee.
After the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the medal is the second-highest civilian honor in the US.
Biden described the awardees, saying, “You are elected officials who served in difficult times with honor, decency, and ensure our democracy delivers.”
The inclusion of Thompson and Cheney on the list of honors coincides with promises from President-elect Donald Trump to penalize former members of the House Jan. 6 committee, which looked into Thompson’s involvement in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, for 18 months.
It’s pretty dang easy, in my opinion. “The responsibilities of citizenship are the foundation and the conclusion of our democracy,” Biden stated during the awards ceremony. That’s what we’ve been doing for centuries. That’s what you all—I mean, all of you—represent.”
Biden gave the award to each recipient after an announcer recited their names one by one. Following the announcer’s announcement that Cheney will be honored “for putting the American people over party,” the audience erupted in loud, prolonged applause that culminated in a standing ovation.
A standing ovation was also given to Thompson minutes later when he was given an award for “his lifelong dedication to safeguarding our Constitution,” as the announcer described it.
Thompson was “honored” to accept the medal, he said in a statement, adding that he has “had an unwavering commitment to upholding the Constitution and defending democracy.”
A request for comment was not immediately answered by a Cheney spokeswoman. The recipients didn’t make any comments.
Trump stated in a December interview with NBC News Meet the Press that former committee members, including only two Republicans, Cheney and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., need to be imprisoned.
Trump also discussed his intentions to pardon rioters convicted of their roles in the attack on the Capitol that day in the same interview.
In response to the idea that Trump would imprison committee members, Thompson told reporters on Capitol Hill in December that the committee had done nothing illegal.
The president-elect’s suggestion that members of Congress who later looked into his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be imprisoned is part of Donald Trump’s ongoing attack on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic, Cheney said in a lengthy statement following Trump’s Meet the Press interview.
Cheney’s committee membership has also drawn criticism from House Republicans. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., called for the former congresswoman s role in the Jan. 6 committeeto be investigated, alleging that she engaged in witness tampering.
Additionally, Thompson has said that if Biden were to offer him a preemptive pardon before he leaves office, he would take it.
It is [Biden’s] right. I would accept it if he offered it to me or the other committee members, but it’s his decision, Thompson said CNN last month.
Two sources familiar had told NBC News that Biden and his senior aideshad discussed issuing pre-emptive pardonsfor those who could become targets of Trump in his next administration.
Biden recognized over a dozen Americans on Thursday, including Thompson and Cheney. Other recipients include former Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas and Ted Kaufman of Delaware.
Several veterans, marriage equality activists, women s rights activists and civil rights advocates were also honored.
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