- The Republican National Committee is set to censure Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger on Friday.
- RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel co-authored the censure resolution, which targets the January 6 committee.
- She also called the committee a "persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse."
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol is a "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse."
McDaniel made the remarks about the committee in a joint interview with The Washington Post alongside David Bossie, a fellow RNC official and former Trump campaign aide, with whom she co-authored a resolution to censure Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois over their participation in the congressional committee.
"We've had two members engage in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse. This has gone beyond their original intent. They are not sticking up for hard-working Republicans," McDaniel said.
Her comments mirrored language in the censure resolution itself, which accuses Kinzinger and Cheney of "sabotage" and says the duo are "utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes."
—Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 4, 2022
That measure, which says the RNC will "cease any and all support" for the two Republicans, easily passed the party's resolutions committee on Thursday, and is expected to be approved on Friday at the RNC meeting in Salt Lake City.
"This isn't a top-down situation. The members have shown tremendous support for this," McDaniel told the Post. She also said it was the first time she was aware of the party censuring a member of Congress.
Given the violent nature of the January 6 attack on the Capitol — several people, including both rioters and officers, died that day and at least 768 people have been charged for their participation — it was unclear what exactly McDaniel was referring to by "legitimate political discourse," and an RNC spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
However, the Post reported that McDaniel took particular issue after an "elderly, recently widowed friend of hers" received a subpoena from the committee for serving as an alternate, pro-Trump elector in 2020.
'The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages'
The censure resolution is the latest turn in the party's ongoing feud with Cheney, who joined Kinzinger and 8 other House Republicans in voting to impeach former President Donald Trump last year for incitement of an insurrection.
And she's remained outspoken about her belief that Trump poses a threat to democracy. After House Republicans voted in May to boot Cheney from her caucus leadership position and replace her with Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Cheney joined the January 6 committee as vice chair. In November, the Wyoming GOP voted to no longer recognize her as a member of their party.
The Post also reported that GOP officials in Wyoming struck a deal with the national party to financially support Harriet Hageman, a former RNC committeewoman who's been endorsed by Trump, in her primary against Cheney this year.
That letter officially recognizes Hageman as the presumptive nominee Cheney's seat, even though the primary won't take place until August.
In response, Cheney slammed GOP leadership, writing on Twitter that they were "hostages" to Trump.
"The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy," she said, referring to the former president's most recent bombshell disclosures.
—Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) February 4, 2022
Kinzinger, who unlike Cheney has opted not to run for re-election, also tweeted that he had "no regrets about my decision to uphold my oath of office and defend the Constitution."