The two Republican members of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol were Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who served as vice chair, and Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. They were the only Republicans on a nine-member panel otherwise made up of seven Democrats, and both paid steep political prices for their service before receiving preemptive pardons from President Biden on his last day in office.1USA Today. January 6 House Committee Members List2New York Times. Biden Pardons Fauci, Milley, Cheney, and Jan. 6 Committee
Why Only Two Republicans Sat on the Panel
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the select committee in mid-2021 after Senate Republicans blocked an earlier effort to form an independent, bipartisan commission. She appointed the members under her authority as speaker.3NPR. The 9 Lawmakers Investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy initially nominated five Republicans: Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, and Troy Nehls of Texas. Pelosi rejected Banks and Jordan, citing concerns about the “integrity of the investigation.” Both had voted against certifying the 2020 election results hours after the Capitol was breached, and Jordan had been a vocal defender of Trump during both impeachments.4CBS News. Kevin McCarthy Jan. 6 Committee Picks Removed5NPR. Pelosi Rejects 2 GOP Nominees for the Jan. 6 Panel
Pelosi accepted the three other picks, but McCarthy refused to seat any of them. He called the rejection an “egregious abuse of power” and pulled all five nominees, saying Republicans would “not be party to their sham process.”4CBS News. Kevin McCarthy Jan. 6 Committee Picks Removed With McCarthy’s caucus boycotting, Pelosi turned to two Republicans who had already broken with their party over January 6. Cheney had been named to the committee before McCarthy’s list was submitted, and Kinzinger was added on July 25, 2021. Both were among only ten House Republicans who had voted to impeach Trump after the attack, and critics inside the party began calling them “Pelosi Republicans.”6Politico. Pelosi Taps Kinzinger for Jan. 6 Investigation
Liz Cheney as Vice Chair
Chairman Bennie Thompson formally appointed Cheney as vice chair on September 2, 2021, saying the move reflected the “bipartisan nature of this effort.”7January 6th Select Committee. Chairman Thompson Announces Representative Cheney as Select Committee Vice Chair The position gave Cheney a leading role in the investigation’s public presentation. She led witness questioning, delivered opening statements during the primetime hearings, and helped structure them into thematic segments aimed at the public.8NPR. Republican Liz Cheney’s Leading Role in Jan. 6 Hearings
Cheney framed the investigation as an examination of what she called Trump’s “seven-part plan” to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power. In the committee’s final report, she described Trump’s false election fraud claims as “concocted nonsense” and his inaction during the riot as a “clear dereliction of duty,” concluding that he was “unfit for any office.” She also noted that the committee deliberately relied primarily on Republican witnesses, including former Trump administration attorneys general, White House counsel, and campaign staff.9GovInfo. Vice Chair’s Statement, January 6th Committee Final Report
Adam Kinzinger’s Role
Kinzinger led at least one hearing, which focused on Trump’s efforts to install loyalists at the Department of Justice.10CBS News Chicago. Rep. Adam Kinzinger to Lead Jan. 6 Committee Hearing He later credited former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as an inadvertent source of critical evidence, saying Meadows’ early release of text messages was foundational for establishing connections among figures like Representative Scott Perry and Ginni Thomas. Kinzinger described the investigation as one of the most intense exercises in bipartisanship of his career, citing close work with Democrats including Adam Schiff, Jamie Raskin, and Zoe Lofgren. He also disclosed that he had brought his own firearm to the Capitol on January 6 because he “had a sense that I was going to need it” based on online threats.11NPR. Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Investigating Jan. 6 and Being a Renegade in the GOP
The RNC Censure
On February 4, 2022, while the investigation was still underway, the Republican National Committee voted by voice to formally censure both members. The resolution accused them of “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse” and called on the party to cease all support for both.12PBS NewsHour. GOP Censures Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for Participation in Jan. 6 Investigation The resolution language said their behavior had been “destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic.”13Republican National Committee. Resolution to Formally Censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger An RNC subcommittee had considered expelling both members from the party entirely before settling on censure.
What Happened to Liz Cheney
Cheney’s committee role effectively ended her career in Republican electoral politics. She had already been removed as House Republican Conference chair in May 2021 for her criticism of Trump. On August 16, 2022, she lost the Wyoming Republican primary to Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman by more than 32 percentage points.14NBC News. Rep. Liz Cheney Loses Primary in Wyoming to Trump-Backed Challenger Her disapproval rating among Wyoming voters had reached 72 percent, and her favorability among Republicans hovered between 13 and 17 percent, while running near 60 percent among Democrats.15NPR. Liz Cheney Wyoming 2022 Primaries
In her concession speech, Cheney compared herself to Abraham Lincoln, who lost a Senate race before winning the presidency, and vowed to “do whatever it takes to ensure that Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office.”14NBC News. Rep. Liz Cheney Loses Primary in Wyoming to Trump-Backed Challenger In September 2024, she became the most prominent Republican to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, announcing at Duke University that “because of the danger Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”16NBC News. Liz Cheney Endorses Kamala Harris for President Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, also endorsed Harris.17New York Times. Liz Cheney and Kamala Harris
What Happened to Adam Kinzinger
Kinzinger did not seek reelection in 2022, citing in part a redistricting that reshaped his Illinois district. After leaving Congress in January 2023, he joined CNN as a senior political commentator.18CNN. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger Joins CNN as Senior Political Commentator He said he would not run for president in 2024, though he acknowledged it “would be fun” to run against Trump.19The Hill. CNN Hires Just-Retired GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger He continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard.
Cheney and Kinzinger were part of a broader group of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after January 6. Four of the ten lost their primaries, four chose not to seek reelection, and only two, Dan Newhouse of Washington and David Valadao of California, won their primaries and returned to Congress.20VOA News. Republicans Voted to Impeach Trump After Capitol Riot but Only 2 Will Remain in Congress
Biden’s Preemptive Pardons
On January 20, 2025, his final day in office, President Biden issued preemptive pardons covering all nine committee members, more than 60 staff members, and the police officers who testified before the panel. The pardons were described as “full and unconditional.”21Lawfare. Biden Grants Preemptive Pardons to Milley, Fauci, and Others Biden said he was acting to protect the recipients from what he called “baseless and politically motivated investigations,” acknowledging “exceptional circumstances” while maintaining that they had “done nothing wrong.”2New York Times. Biden Pardons Fauci, Milley, Cheney, and Jan. 6 Committee
President Trump later claimed the pardons were “void” and alleged, without evidence, that Biden had not personally authorized them. Constitutional scholars cited in reporting on the dispute said a president cannot overturn a predecessor’s pardons, and a 2024 federal appeals court ruling found that pardons do not necessarily require a written signature to be valid.22ABC News. Trump Claims Biden’s Pardons of Jan. 6 Committee Are Void
The Republican Reinvestigation Targeting Cheney
After Republicans won the House majority in 2022, they launched their own inquiry into the original committee’s conduct. Representative Barry Loudermilk of Georgia chairs the new panel, formally called the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6, 2021, housed under the Judiciary Committee. Its Republican members include Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Troy Nehls of Texas, and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, the same Hageman who defeated Cheney in the 2022 primary.23CNN. January 6 Committee Congress Republicans
In December 2024, Loudermilk’s subcommittee released an interim report recommending an investigation into Cheney for alleged criminal witness tampering, accusing her of improperly communicating with witness Cassidy Hutchinson without her attorney’s knowledge.24Committee on House Administration. Chairman Loudermilk Releases Second January 6, 2021 Report House Democrats released their own report asserting that Hutchinson had independently terminated her former counsel before communicating with Cheney. Legal observers noted that the Speech and Debate Clause would likely shield Cheney from prosecution and that the witness tampering statute applies to pressuring witnesses to give false testimony, making charges difficult to advance.25The Hill. House Democrats Defend Liz Cheney As of mid-2026, no Justice Department action on the referral has been publicly reported.