Liz Cheney

A profound example of modern-day political courage.

Jan 04, 2025

On January 2, 2025, President Biden awarded the second highest civilian honor, the Presidential Citizens Medal, to former Representative Liz Cheney. She received cheers and a standing ovation for “putting the American people over party” as she accepted the award.

Liz Cheney’s Courageous Actions

Liz Cheney is arguably the most prominent and one of the very few Republican politicians to stand up against Donald Trump. Her courageous actions include, but are not limited to, the following:

She was one of only ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection.
She was one of only two Republicans (with Adam Kinzinger) to vote for the House bill to create the formation of a select committee to investigate the January 6th insurrection.
She accepted the appointment and served as Vice Chair of the select committee to investigate the January 6th insurrection, despite strong opposition from House Minority Leader McCarthy and many others in the Republican party.1
She broke with the Republican party by endorsing Kamala Harris and campaigning with her in her bid for the presidency against Trump.
Despite being constantly reviled and threatened by Donald Trump and his supporters, she continues to stand up for democracy and truth.2

The price of courage

In May 2021, she was removed from her position as Chair of the House Republican Conference for not endorsing the lie that Trump won the 2020 election and for voting to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection.3
In November 2021, Cheney was expelled from the Wyoming Republican Party for her participation in the January 6th investigation.4
In August 2022, after serving for three terms in the House as a representative for Wyoming, Cheney lost the Republican primary for the at-large congressional seat to a Trump-backed challenger.5
In February 2022, Cheney was formally censured by the Republican National Committee for her role in the January 6th investigation, where she was accused of participating in a “Democratic-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse.”6
In December 2024, a GOP report on the January 6th investigation recommended a criminal investigation into Cheney’s actions on the committee, alleging witness tampering and other violations.7
In January 2025, after accepting the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Biden, Cheney is facing increasingly vociferous backlash from Trump and his supporters. Notably, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), who had previously been relatively silent regarding Cheney, said she did not deserve the medal and that she represents partisanship and divisiveness.8

What we learn about courage from Liz Cheney

A major goal of The Backbone Report is to learn what we can about courage and cowardice from the people, institutions, and groups we profile. Liz Cheney’s courageous actions since January 6, 2021 provide the following lessons:

Courage is rare. The number of active Republican politicians having the courage to put country over party can possibly be counted on two hands.
Courageous action involves taking a stand. For the traditionally conservative Cheney, Trump’s role in inciting and prolonging an insurrection crossed a red line she could no longer ignore.
Acting courageously may require huge sacrifices. Cheney lost her job, her reputation, colleagues, and friends.
Courageous actions might earn you a medal. You might get a medal but at the same time be reviled for receiving it.
Courage is in the eye of the beholder. While many laud Cheney for her courage and patriotism, others accuse her of being a coward and a traitor. An interesting question to pursue is who is right and why.
Courageous actions may result in having to reinvent yourself. Acting courageously may require that you find a new job and friends who are more aligned with your values. While Cheney is largely rejected by the Republican Party and Trump supporters, she receives great support from others who respect and admire her courage.
Courageous people may inspire others to act courageously too. Although few elected Republicans have followed in Cheney’s brave footsteps, there remains hope that her example will encourage others to act with integrity, despite the costs.
Being courageous may move those who disagree with you to admire you. When you stand up for your values, honor your oath of office, and put country over party, even those who disagree with you on almost everything else will respect you and give you a standing ovation (like Cheney received when she accepted the Presidential Citizens Medal).
Courage is ongoing; it is not always a one-time event. Cheney has been acting courageously, at least since 2021. In 2022, Cheney was awarded the prestigious Profile in Courage Award by the JFK Presidential Library. In 2025, she is awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal. She has remained consistent in her courageous actions.
Courage and/or lack of courage can impact history. One day it will be clear who is on the right side of history: Liz Cheney, who placed country over party, or the cowardly actions of those who placed party over country.

What can we do?

Here are some steps we can take to affirm, support, and thank Representative Cheney:

Buy her book Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning to learn more about her and what she did in the aftermath of the January 6th insurrection.
Let Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) know that Cheney absolutely deserves admiration (and medals) for the courage she has shown and that his cowardice sucking up to Trump by denouncing her has not gone unnoticed. Remind him of Cheney’s warning that "There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain" and enCourage him to do better. You can contact Barraso on his Facebook page or his website.
Write to President Biden to thank him for awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to Liz Cheney. Next, ask him to offer Cheney a preemptive pardon, although she may not need it because the charges against her are so spurious and ridiculous. Here is the address to send a message to President Biden, but it will only be good until noon on January 20, 2025.
Follow Liz Cheney on her social media accounts and take every opportunity possible to thank her for all she has done and continues to do to protect our democracy. Her social media addresses are: Facebook and Bluesky
Speak up and speak out to defend Liz Cheney’s courage whenever you hear her being denounced. Counter the rampant disinformation about her with facts.

Conclusion

In her acceptance speech at the 2022 Profile in Courage Award Ceremony, Liz Cheney said:

Today … we face a threat we have never faced before—a former president attempting to unravel our constitutional republic. At this moment, we must all summon the courage to stand against that. The question for every one of us is, in this time of testing, will we do our duty? Will we defend our Constitution? Will we stand for truth? Will we put duty to our oath above partisan politics? Or will we look away from danger, ignore the threat, embrace the lies, and enable the liar? 9

Liz Cheney has done her duty, defended our Constitution, stood for the truth, and put duty over partisan politics. She has paid a high price and has faced and continues to face threats as she does all that she can to preserve our democracy.