Biden awards Liz Cheney, Jan 6 committee chairman a medal: US 'is better because of their dedication'

"The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded to citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others. The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice," the White House detailed in a statement Thursday. 

The White House announced 20 people across the nation would receive the Presidential Citizens Medal on Thursday, including Cheney and Thompson, who Biden lauded as "intrepid" and holding a "steadfast commitment to truth." 

"Throughout two decades in public service, including as a congresswoman for Wyoming and vice chair of the Committee on the January 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice-and reached across the aisle-to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together," the White House said in its statement of Cheney. 

"Born and raised in a segregated Mississippi, as a college student inspired by the Civil Rights movement, Bennie Thompson volunteered on campaigns and registered southern Black voters. That call to serve eventually led him to Congress, where he chaired the House January 6th Committee-at the forefront of defending the rule of law with unwavering integrity and a steadfast commitment to truth," the statement on Thompson read. 

The committee concluded its 18-month investigation in 2023, after Republicans regained control of the House, and sent referrals to the Justice Department recommending that Trump be criminally prosecuted for his involvement in the lead-up to his supporters breaching the Capitol.

Incoming Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., reacted to Biden's decision to award Cheney with the medal in a comment to Fox News Digital on Thursday, slamming her as a former elected official who "represents partisanship and divisiveness."

"President Biden was either going to pardon Liz Cheney or give her an award. She doesn't deserve either. She represents partisanship and divisiveness, not Wyoming," he said.

Republican elected officials and President-elect Donald Trump have railed against the committee and its leaders for years, with a recent Republican House report calling on the FBI to investigate Cheney for "potential criminal witness tampering" related to her role on the former select committee.

Cheney and Thompson both slammed the report in comments to Fox Digital last month. 

"The January 6th Committee's hearings and report featured scores of Republican witnesses, including many of the most senior officials from Trump's own White House, campaign and Administration," Cheney said. "All of this testimony was painstakingly set out in thousands of pages of transcripts, made public along with a highly detailed and meticulously sourced 800 page report. Now, Chairman Loudermilk's 'Interim Report' intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee's tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did. Their allegations do not reflect a review of the actual evidence, and are a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth. No reputable lawyer, legislator or judge would take this seriously."

Cheney had served as the third-highest ranking Republican in the House but was ousted from her role as GOP conference chair by her colleagues in 2021. Cheney lost her 2022 primary run for re-election to Trump-backed Rep. Harriet Hageman. 

The report followed speculation that Biden could grant Cheney a presidential pardon ahead of leaving the Oval Office. Late last year, Trump renewed his longstanding criticisms of Cheney and the Jan. 6 committee, suggesting she and Thompson could face jail time. 

"And Cheney was behind it. And so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee," he continued. "For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail."

The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second-highest honor a civilian can receive from the president, after the Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to the Associated Press.