Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) hit back at President-elect Donald Trump after he criticized President Joe Biden for awarding her and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) the Presidential Citizens Medal this week.
“Donald, this is not the Soviet Union,” Cheney wrote Friday on X (formerly Twitter). “You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us.”
Biden recognized Cheney on Thursday for her role as vice chair of the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also honored her for her seven years of service in Congress. Thompson, who led the committee as chair, was also celebrated for his “lifelong dedication to safeguarding our Constitution.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump posted a message on Truth Social, attacking the award. He accused Biden of giving Cheney and Thompson “fake medals” and called Cheney “corrupt.”
“Biden rewarded her only because she hated ‘TRUMP,’” Trump wrote about Cheney.
Cheney, who has been a strong critic of Trump, has frequently been in the former president’s crosshairs. In response to Trump’s post, Cheney reminded him of his false claims about the 2020 election.
“Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened?” Cheney wrote. “Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined, or disbarred, the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you.”
Among those punished for trying to overturn the 2020 election results, Trump ally Rudy Giuliani was disbarred in Washington last fall. Earlier this year, the D.C. Bar also found that Jeffrey Clark, who helped Trump in his efforts, violated ethics rules and recommended a two-year suspension of his law license. Another Trump ally, Sidney Powell, faced sanctions for her attempts to overturn election results in Michigan.
Cheney also pointed to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to go along with Trump’s demand to block the certification of the 2020 election results.
“Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic?” Cheney asked. “We remember.”
She ended her message with a strong warning to Trump as he aims for another presidential run: “And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic — to protect the America we love from you.”
