Former Vice President Dick Cheney (R) was welcomed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as he joined his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on the House floor Thursday for an observance of the anniversary of the January 6 riot that disrupted the effort by President Trump and Republicans in Congress to lawfully challenge the certification of the votes of several states in the Electoral College. Liz Cheney was the only Republican House member to attend the observance. Dick Cheney told a reporter he is “deeply disappointed” with how Republican leadership has handled January 6.
Dick Cheney, 80 was vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001-2009 and also served in the House as the representative from Wyoming from 1979-1989. Liz Cheney has served in the House from Wyoming since 2017.
Pelosi, who hated Dick Cheney when he was in office almost as much as she hates President Trump, warmly greeted him with a long handshake now that his daughter has turned on Trump and the Republican Party.
“After her remarks on floor, Pelosi embraces Liz Cheney with a hand squeeze, then reaches out for a long handshake with Dick Cheney.
There’s now a LINE of members waiting to greet the two Republicans in the room. Quigley, Boyle, Wasserman Schultz, Larson.”
Dick Cheney spoke to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, ““It’s an important historical event,” Cheney told me, referring to the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. “You can’t overestimate how important it is”
“Significant words: Minutes before he walked into the House chamber, VP Dick Cheney, one of the most prominent Republican elder statesmen in America, just told me he is “deeply disappointed” in the Republican leadership and the way it has handled Jan 6.”
The New York Times’ Peter Baker noted the change in Pelosi’s attitude toward Cheney, “Something surreal about watching Pelosi and other Democrats happily greeting Dick Cheney, once their bete noire. Says something about how Trump has changed the nature of our politics.”
Pelosi held a moment of silence for the police officers who died in the days after the attack from natural causes and suicide. The devout Catholic Pelosi apparently did not ask for prayers for the other American killed or those who died of natural causes on January 6.
More from the Cheney’s via Bloomberg Government reporters Emily Wilkins and Zach Cohen, “Former VP Dick Cheney on GOP leadership post-1/6: “It’s not a leadership that resembles any of the folks that I knew when I was here for 10 years.” via
@emrwilkins…Rep. Liz Cheney, on lack of GOP attendance at 1/6 events in the Capitol: “I think it’s the reflection of where our party is. It is very concerning.”