Donald Trump lashed out at former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as courts consider whether to dismiss his claims of presidential immunity.
In a post on his Truth Social app, Trump falsely accused Cheney of deleting key pieces of evidence regarding his debunked claim that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied his request to bring in the National Guard to the Capitol before the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“Why did American Disaster Liz Cheney, who suffers from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), and was defeated for Congress by the largest margin for a sitting Congressman or Congresswoman in the history of our Country, ILLEGALLY DELETE & DESTROY most of the evidence, and related items, from the January 6th Committee of Political Thugs and Misfits. THIS ACT OF EXTREME SABOTAGE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR MY LAWYERS TO PROPERLY PREPARE FOR, AND PRESENT, A PROPER DEFENSE OF THEIR CLIENT, ME,” Trump wrote. “All of the information on Crazy Nancy Pelosi turning down 10,000 soldiers that I offered to guard the Capitol Building, and beyond, is gone.”
“The ridiculous Deranged Jack Smith case on Immunity, which the most respected legal minds in the Country say I am fully entitled to, is now completely compromised and should be thrown out and terminated, JUST LIKE THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS DID TO THE EVIDENCE!” Trump added.
Republicans have tried to blame Pelosi for the Jan. 6 insurrection by falsely suggesting that she was in charge of security at the Capitol that day and rejected Trump’s request to bring in National Guard troops.
The Capitol Police Board, which is made up of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol, was responsible for calling National Guard troops to the Capitol. The board decided not to call the guard before the insurrection but did eventually request assistance after the rioting had already begun, according to The Associated Press.
In a previous statement debunking the claim, Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said: “On January 6th, the Speaker, a target of an assassination attempt that day, was no more in charge of Capitol security than Mitch McConnell was. This is a clear attempt to whitewash what happened on January 6th and divert blame.”
There is also no evidence to support Trump’s claim that Cheney, one of two Republicans who served on the House Jan. 6 select committee, deleted evidence.
Trump’s latest rant comes as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is weighing whether to throw out his federal election subversion case. Trump’s lawyers argued that he has “presidential immunity” and therefore cannot be prosecuted for actions he took while in office.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is urging the court to reject Trump’s claims of immunity.
“Rather than vindicating our constitutional framework, the defendant’s sweeping immunity claim threatens to license Presidents to commit crimes to remain in office,” Smith wrote in an 82-page filing. “The Founders did not intend and would never have countenanced such a result.”
Trump was indicted in August on four charges related to his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction, and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted. He has pleaded not guilty.
