Biden to Present Service Medal to Trump Critic Liz Cheney

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Biden to Present Service Medal to Trump Critic Liz Cheney

On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden will award Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman and vocal critic of Donald Trump, with the Presidential Citizens Medal, a prestigious honor recognizing exceptional service to the country.

Cheney, who has been a prominent anti-Trump voice within her party, will receive the medal alongside 19 other notable figures for their “exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens,” as stated by the White House.

The Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor in the U.S., will also be awarded to former U.S. senator Chris Dodd, ex-House representative Carolyn McCarthy, and current Congressman Bennie Thompson, who chaired the House committee investigating Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, served as vice-chair of the committee.

In its announcement, the White House praised Cheney for her “integrity and intrepidness,” stating that she has “raised her voice — and reached across the aisle — to defend our nation and the ideals we stand for: freedom, dignity, and decency.” The statement emphasized that Cheney’s efforts remind Americans of what is possible when they work together for the greater good.

Cheney, 58, lost her seat in Congress in 2022 to a pro-Trump challenger, and in recent years, she has emerged as one of the strongest Republican critics of the former president. She also campaigned alongside Vice President Kamala Harris; the Democratic candidate defeated by Trump in 2020.

As Trump prepares to return to the White House on January 20, he has threatened to seek revenge against his political foes. In a recent social media post, Trump suggested that Cheney could face legal trouble, citing evidence gathered by the subcommittee investigating the Capitol attack. He claimed that “numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.”

In December, a Republican-led congressional panel accused Cheney of witness tampering related to the Capitol riot investigation, but Cheney has denied the allegations.