Mollie Hemingway: Liz Cheney’s Departure a “Gift” to GOP, Took “Toxic” Politics with Her

Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway offered a sharp critique of former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) during a recent appearance on Fox News, arguing that Cheney’s political shift has been a blessing for the Republican Party. Speaking with host Maria Bartiromo, Hemingway accused Cheney of serious misconduct during her tenure on the House January 6 Committee and criticized President Biden’s recent decision to award Cheney the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“This isn’t someone who deserves the nation’s highest civilian honor,” Hemingway said. “She was handpicked by [former Speaker] Nancy Pelosi to serve as a partisan attack dog, and she used that role to suppress evidence, interfere with witnesses, and mislead the public.”

The Medal of Freedom, which was recently awarded to Cheney along with other high-profile figures including Hillary Clinton and George Soros, has stirred controversy on the political right. Hemingway argued that Cheney’s actions while leading the January 6 Committee went far beyond partisanship and crossed into the territory of legal and ethical violations.

“She tampered with a key witness — Cassidy Hutchinson,” Hemingway claimed. “She got directly involved in the legal representation of someone she was supposedly investigating. That alone is grounds for serious inquiry.”

Hemingway went on to accuse Cheney of hiding exculpatory evidence related to former President Donald Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021. “She withheld testimony that showed Trump had actually recommended the deployment of National Guard troops ahead of the protest. This information only came out after Republicans took control of the House and began releasing hidden transcripts.”

According to Hemingway, Cheney misrepresented key facts in her effort to portray Trump as inciting violence and failing to act. “The Deputy Chief of Staff testified that Trump personally expressed the need for 10,000 troops,” she said. “But instead of making that public, Cheney buried it. That’s not justice. That’s manipulation.”

Bartiromo pressed Hemingway on whether she believed Cheney’s conduct had crossed into illegality. Hemingway didn’t hold back.

“There are people talking about a potential pardon for her, which tells you everything you need to know,” she said. “You don’t seek a pardon unless there’s concern about prosecution. At the very least, a proper investigation should be opened.”

Bartiromo and Hemingway also discussed the political implications of Cheney’s public break from the Republican Party. While some Democrats have embraced Cheney for her vocal opposition to Trump, Hemingway suggested that her ideological baggage — particularly her neoconservative foreign policy views — has proven to be a liability.

“Cheney campaigned with Democrats,” Hemingway said. “The Kamala Harris campaign actually used her as a closing message. They implied a vote for Harris meant support from people like Cheney. But polling showed that backfired — voters didn’t want more endless wars or more interventionist policies.”

According to Hemingway, Cheney’s alignment with the Democratic Party marks a permanent shift. “She’s taken her unpopular, politically toxic neoconservative ideology — the same ideology that helped launch endless wars — and brought it over to the Democrats. In that sense, she gave Republicans a gift by leaving.”

As the conversation turned to Biden’s motivations for giving Cheney the Medal of Freedom, both Hemingway and Bartiromo agreed the decision was deeply political.

“Let’s be clear — this wasn’t about honoring public service,” Bartiromo said. “This was about rewarding loyalty to the anti-Trump cause.”

Hemingway added, “She helped Democrats during a critical time. She gave them a narrative, a face, a weapon. And for that, they’re rewarding her — even if it means ignoring potential misconduct.”

The White House, in contrast, defended its decision, releasing a statement that painted Cheney as a courageous public servant. “Throughout two decades in public service, including as a Congresswoman for Wyoming and Vice Chair of the Committee on the January 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice—and reached across the aisle—to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together.”

Still, critics argue that the award sends the wrong message. “Honoring someone accused of manipulating evidence and tampering with witnesses is a slap in the face to accountability,” Hemingway concluded. “If this is the standard for freedom medals, we’re in trouble.”

As Cheney’s political trajectory continues to drift away from her Republican roots, her place in American political history is becoming more controversial — hailed by some as a defender of democracy, and by others as a partisan actor who abandoned principle for politics.