President Biden Awards Medal to Key Figures in Jan. 6 Investigation
President Joe Biden is set to present the prestigious Presidential Citizens Medal to Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson, the congressional leaders who spearheaded the investigation into the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection, incited by supporters of Donald Trump, who has publicly called for their imprisonment.
The ceremony, scheduled for Thursday at the White House, will honor a total of 20 individuals. These include advocates for marriage equality, a trailblazer in treating injured soldiers, and two of Biden’s long-time associates, former Senators Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
According to a White House statement, “President Biden believes these Americans are united by their fundamental decency and dedication to serving others. Their commitment and sacrifices have made the nation a better place.”
Last year, Biden honored individuals who played significant roles in defending the Capitol against rioters and those who upheld the democratic process during the contentious 2020 presidential election, which Trump attempted to overturn unsuccessfully.
Cheney, a former Republican representative from Wyoming, and Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, were at the forefront of the House committee investigating the insurrection. Cheney has since expressed her intention to support Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming 2024 election, even campaigning alongside her, which has angered Trump. Meanwhile, Biden has been contemplating the possibility of offering preemptive pardons to Cheney and others who have been targeted by Trump.
Despite winning the 2024 election and preparing to take office on January 20, Trump continues to perpetuate falsehoods regarding the 2020 election outcomes and has indicated that he would pardon the January 6 rioters once he assumes office.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump stated, “Cheney has committed an unforgivable act, along with Thompson and the members of the so-called select committee of political thugs and creeps,” alleging, without evidence, that they “deleted and destroyed” collected testimonies.
“They should honestly be jailed,” he asserted.
Biden will also recognize attorney Mary Bonauto, a key figure in the legalization of same-sex marriage, and Evan Wolfson, who played a vital role in the marriage equality movement.
Other notable honorees include Frank Butler, who established new standards for tourniquets for combat injuries; Diane Carlson Evans, a Vietnam War Army nurse who founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation; and Eleanor Smeal, an activist who fought for women’s rights and equal pay during the 1970s.
Additional recipients of the award include photographer Bobby Sager, academics Thomas Vallely and Paula Wallace, and Frances Visco, who leads the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
Among the former lawmakers receiving accolades are ex-Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), Nancy Kassebaum—the first woman to represent Kansas—and Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), who advocated for gun safety policies following the tragic deaths of her son and husband.
Biden will also honor four individuals posthumously: Joseph Galloway, a former war correspondent recognized for his coverage of the first major battle in Vietnam, civil rights advocate and attorney Louis Lorenzo Redding, former Delaware state judge Collins Seitz, and Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi, who challenged the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Established by President Richard Nixon in 1969, the Presidential Citizens Medal is the nation’s second highest civilian honor, following the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded to individuals who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or fellow citizens.”
