President bestows medals upon congressman and ex-congresswoman who led investigation into Capitol attack

Joe Biden has bestowed the second highest civilian medal on the Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson, and Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney who led the bipartisan congressional investigation into the deadly 6 January 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol riot by Donald Trump’s supporters intent on overturning his election defeat by Biden.

Trump, who takes office again on 20 January after winning last November’s election, has said the leaders of that committee, which published its conclusions in December 2022 after a series of high-profile public hearings, should be jailed, not rewarded.