Biden honors Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson with highest civilian honor: NPR

Former Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the committee on January 6, will be honored by President Biden with the Presidential Citizens Medal.

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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. who led the congressional committee that investigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The Presidential Citizens Medal honors Americans who have provided exemplary service to their country or fellow citizens. It is the second-highest civilian honor a president can bestow, and giving it to Cheney and Thompson sends a message.

President-elect Trump has repeatedly criticized the pair and falsely accused them of breaking the law with their investigation into his actions on and around January 6th.

“President Biden believes these Americans are bound together by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House said in a statement. “The country is better because of their commitment and sacrifice.”

Biden will also award the medal to several civil rights leaders and advocates who, among other things, have championed issues he has championed throughout his career. Among the honorees are two of Biden’s longtime friends, former Sens. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn. Bill Bradley, the former Democratic senator from New Jersey, NBA all-star and presidential candidate, is also on the list of honorees.

In total, Biden will award the Citizen’s Medal to 20 people.

Last year, he awarded the medal to 14 people for their work protecting the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and overseeing the 2020 election process despite attempts to overturn the results.

Cheney was one of two Republicans on the panel that investigated on January 6th. The panel recommended that Trump be prosecuted by the Justice Department on four counts: obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement; and conspiring to defraud the United States by aiding, assisting, or comforting those engaged in an insurrection.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, has said he will pardon some of those convicted in connection with the January 6 riots. He has repeatedly rejected the committee’s Jan. 6 findings and attacked Cheney on social media.