President Joe Biden will award Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who served as chair and vice chair of the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee, with the Presidential Citizens Medal during a ceremony at the White House on Thursday.
The medal is the second-highest civilian award in the United States, behind only the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Thompson and Cheney’s inclusion on the list of honorees comes as President-elect Donald Trump has increasingly threatened to punish former members of the House Jan. 6 committee, which examined his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol during its 18-month investigation.
In a December interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump said that former members of the committee, which included just two Republicans — Cheney and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. — “should go to jail.”
The comment came as Trump also detailed his plans to pardon the rioters who have been convicted for their roles in the attack at the Capitol that day.
Thompson has fired back on the notion that Trump could jail members of the committee, telling reporters on Capitol Hill in December that the committee did nothing “that violates the law.”
In a lengthy statement after Trump’s “Meet the Press” interview, Cheney also blasted the president-elect’s comments, saying, “Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
House Republicans have also attacked Cheney for her role on the committee. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., called for the former congresswoman’s role in the Jan. 6 committee to be investigated, alleging that she engaged in witness tampering.
Thompson has also suggested that he would accept a preemptive pardon from the president before he leaves office if Biden offered.
“It’s [Biden’s] prerogative. If he offers it to me or other members of the committee … I would accept it, but it’s his choice,” Thompson told CNN last month.
The comment came days after two sources familiar told NBC News that Biden and his senior aides had discussed issuing preemptive pardons for those who could become targets of Trump in his next administration.
Thompson and Cheney are among more than a dozen Americans that Biden will honor on Thursday. Other recipients include former Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas and Ted Kaufman of Delaware.
Several veterans, marriage equality activists, women’s rights activists and civil rights advocates are also set to be honored.
Gabe Gutierrez, Kelly O’Donnell, Rebecca Shabad and Sarah Dean contributed.
