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"People must pay attention. People must watch, and they must
understand how easily our democratic system can unravel if we
don't defend it," Cheney said during an interview broadcast on
CBS Sunday Morning, days before Congress' official probe of the
Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol begins public hearings.
Cheney, a vocal critic of Trump who voted to impeach him, is one
of two Republicans serving on the committee. She warned that
Trump continues to damage trust in American democracy by
repeating his false claims that his loss was the result of
widespread fraud.
Those claims have been repeatedly debunked by courts, state and
local election officials and members of Trump's own
administration.
"It's an ongoing threat," Cheney said of the efforts to undercut
confidence in elections. "It is extremely broad. It's extremely
well organized. It's really chilling."
The House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the
attacks will hold a prime time hearing at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT
June 10) on Thursday, the committee announced. It will be the
first of six public hearings, set for June 13, 15, 16, 21 and
June 23, according to media reports.
With seven Democrats and two Republicans, the panel has spent
much of the past year investigating the events preceding and
driving the attack by thousands of Trump supporters, who stormed
the building in a failed bid to prevent Congress from formally
certifying his 2020 election loss to now-President Joe Biden.
Cheney was once the third most powerful Republican in
Washington. She was ousted from leadership after repudiating
Trump's false claims that the election had been stolen. Trump
has endorsed a challenger to Cheney in Wyoming's August primary.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Richard Chang)
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