Liz Cheney slams GOP leader Kevin McCarthy for 'blocking' the January 6 probe and appeals to Republicans who have avoided speaking out because they 'don't want a target on their backs' The House is set to vote Thursday on a measure to hold Steve Bannon in contempt He has refused to appear or provide documents after getting a subpoena Cheney tore into House Majority Leader McCarthy for backing away from a bipartisan commission to probe Jan. 6 She noted he initially backed the idea She said fellow Republicans won't confront them because they don't want a 'target on their back' Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), like Jordan a Trump loyalist, said 'all of this is ridiculous' and brought up Afghanistan, the border, and supply chain issues By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor For Dailymail.com Published: 18:06 BST, 20 October 2021 | Updated: 18:22 BST, 20 October 2021 Viewcomments Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney accused House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of blocking a bipartisan commission to probe the Jan. 6th Capitol riot and intimidating fellow Republican lawmakers as a House panel conducts its probe. She made the statement at a tense House Rules Committee meeting over a measure to hold former chief White House strategist Steven Bannon in contempt for failing to appear before the select committee. Cheney brought up McCarthy, who she clashed with repeatedly after he backed an effort to strip away her leadership post following her criticism of former President Trump's election overturn effort. 'I've heard from a number of my colleagues int he last several days who say they quote just don't want this target on their back. They're just trying to keep their heads down. They don't want to anger Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, who as been especially active in attempting to block the invesigation of events of Jan. 6th, despite the fact that he clearly called for such a commission the week after the attack. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney accused House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of blocking a bipartisan commission to probe the Jan. 6th Capitol riot and said fellow Republicans don't want a 'target on their back' She told fellow Republicans: 'I ask each one of you to step back from the brink. I urge you to know what is right, to think of the long arc of history. We are told that it bends toward justice. But it does so only because of the actions of men and women in positions of public trust,' she said. She brought up the Capitol riot, and told lawmakers in the televised hearing: 'Will you be able to say you did everything possible to ensure Americans got the truth about those events?' She called the contempt citation against Bannon 'crucial to our investigation.' Cheney has clashed repeatedly with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who helped push her out as the No. 3 GOP leader President Donald Trump speaks during the 'Stop the Steal' rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington She and McCarthy have clashed repeatedly. In July, McCarthy called Cheney and GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger 'Pelosi Republicans.' Cheney called the remark 'pretty childish.' At the hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) clashed with panel chair Rep. Jim McGovern over the citation. 'We have condemned violence every stinking time it happened,' said Jordan. 'But it would have been nice if you guys had condemned the violence in the summer of 2020,' referencing protests that broke out nationwide. 'I think many of us did condemn it,' said McGovern. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), like Jordan a Trump loyalist, said 'all of this is ridiculous.' He brought up Afghan refugees he said had no vetting, said there was a 'turnstile' on the border,' and 'supply chain issues.' 'So many on the left talk about Trump being this savage against our institutions. And that our institutions are all going to fail because of Trump and the insurrectionist Republicans. But truly this is a case of projection. After the 2016 election, Democrats repeatedly called Trump an illegitimate president. They damaged the institution of our electoral process by claiming that Trump was a Russian agent. How phony and fake that all turned out to be.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility