Cheney: Trump 'deceived' Americans with claims of fraud
Cheney, the panel's vice chair, said Trump "deceived" his supporters by touting unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
"No rational or sane man in his position could disregard that information and reach the opposite conclusion." Reading from a teleprompter, Cheney also indicated that the committee would show evidence that Trump's circle of advisers knew they lacked evidence to support claims of widespread fraud.
"As you watch our hearing today, I would urge you to keep your eye on two specific points. First, you will see evidence that Trump's legal team, led by Rudy Giuliani, knew that they lacked actual evidence of widespread fraud to prove that the election was actually stolen. They knew it, but they went ahead with Jan. 6 anyway," she added. "And second, consider how millions of Americans were persuaded to believe what Donald Trump's closes advisers in his administration did not."
"These Americans did not have access to the truth like Donald Trump did. They put their faith and their trust in Donald Trump. They wanted to believe in him. They wanted to fight for their country, and he deceived them. For millions of Americans, that may be painful to accept, but it is true," Cheney concluded.