Not only is GOP Rep. Liz Cheney using her position as the pre-eminent Republican on the Democrats’ Jan. 6 House committee to raise her profile as the country’s top anti-Trump Republican, she’s also using it to attack her enemies at home.
On Tuesday, the committee subpoenaed a Republican adviser who’s been working with Cheney’s most prominent primary challenger. Andrew Surabian had worked with Donald Trump Jr. — but said he had no involvement with anything surrounding the Capitol riot.
The subpoena is the latest black eye for the Jan. 6 committee, which has been nothing more than a kangaroo court. Don’t ask the mainstream media about that, however — they’re taking the committee very seriously. Here at The Western Journal, we’re making sure readers know about the absurdities and outrages coming out of the committee. You can help support our mission by subscribing.
According to a media release from the Jan. 6 committee, Surabian was one of three men subpoenaed Tuesday.
“Andy Surabian and Arthur Schwartz were strategists who both served as advisors to Donald Trump, Jr. and were communicating with individuals including Donald Trump, Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle regarding the January 6th Ellipse rally,” the media release read. “Ross Worthington is a former White House official who helped draft the former President’s January 6th speech for the rally at the Ellipse.”
“The Select Committee is seeking information from individuals who were involved with the rally at the Ellipse. Protests on that day escalated into an attack on our democracy,” said the committee chair, Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.
“Protestors became rioters who carried out a violent attempt to derail the peaceful transfer of power. We have reason to believe the individuals we’ve subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to join the more than 340 individuals who have spoken with the Select Committee as we push ahead to investigate this attack on our democracy and ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
As The Federalist reported, all three men were called upon to testify and hand over documents to the committee between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2.
Surabian, however, said there’s no reason for him to be subpoenaed — and he believes the reason behind it is politically motivated.
“During the time period that the rally was being organized, Mr. Surabian was overseeing a Super PAC in support of Republican Senate candidates in Georgia,” Surabian’s attorney said via a statement, according to the Federalist.
“Mr. Surabian is a close friend to Donald Trump Jr. and is running a Super PAC that opposes the reelection of one of the members of the committee. Accordingly, we believe this is nothing more than harassment of the Committee’s political opponents and is un-American to the core.”
Statement pic.twitter.com/YvlahbZUTK
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) January 11, 2022
Surabian is, according to Politico, working with Harriet Hageman — a Cheyenne trial attorney who’s running against Cheney in the 2022 primary for Wyoming’s sole House seat.
In September, the outlet reported Hageman “is getting support from a super PAC led by an array of Trump allies. Donald Trump Jr. is serving as honorary chair of the organization, called Wyoming Values PAC, and is expected to be heavily involved in its efforts, including potentially appearing in TV ads.
“The outfit will be steered by former Trump White House official Andy Surabian and James Blair, a Republican strategist with close ties to the former president’s orbit. Others involved include Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and Jamestown Associates, a Republican consulting firm that produced the Trump campaign’s TV ads.”
And now he’s getting subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee — where Liz Cheney is the most prominent Republican. How felicitous!
Or, as one Twitter user put it — “Corrupt. For sure.”
Corrupt. For sure
— 1hunk (@Hunk2106) January 12, 2022
Another Twitterer said Cheney is “turning out to be the Hillary Clinton of the Republican Party.”
She is turning out to be the Hillary Clinton of the Republican Party.
— Devi (@kam_devi) January 12, 2022
The thing is, Hillary Clinton might have a better chance of winning the Wyoming Republican primary than Cheney does.
While there hasn’t been much polling in the race yet, a December poll had Cheney trailing Hageman by a 38 to 18 percent margin, according to the Washington Examiner. Meanwhile, state Rep. Anthony Bouchard got another 12 percent. However, the Examiner reported in July that polling showed only 23 percent of potential GOP primary voters said they’d cast a vote for Cheney versus 77 percent who wouldn’t.
After Cheney voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in January of 2021, the state Republican Party censured her. In November, the party stripped her of recognition.
She’s going to need all the help she can get, in other words. However, that help shouldn’t come from subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee — particularly if Surabian doesn’t have information pertinent to its investigation.