Trump warns top Republican critic could be 'in a lot of trouble'

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump warned Wednesday that an ex-congresswoman who probed his role in the 2021 Capitol riot "could be in a lot of trouble," after Republican lawmakers called for her to be criminally investigated.

The Republican president-elect, who is due to return to the White House on January 20, has vowed to get revenge on political adversaries he baselessly accuses of weaponizing the US justice system against him.

Trump posted the taunt against former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney on his Truth Social platform after a congressional panel on Tuesday accused her of witness tampering when she helped lead the probe into the January 6, 2021 riot.

"Liz Cheney could be in a lot of trouble based on the evidence obtained by the subcommittee, which states that 'numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI,'" Trump said in the post at 3:11 am.

The Republican-led panel, in its 128-page report, accuses Cheney of colluding with Cassidy Hutchinson, a top staffer in Trump's 2017-21 White House.

Hutchinson was the star witness of the select committee that investigated Trump, and on which Cheney served as vice-chair.

It was set up after a mob whipped up by Trump's false claims of a stolen election, and directed to march on Congress by the defeated president, ransacked the US Capitol.

The committee, since disbanded, concluded that Trump "oversaw and coordinated a sophisticated seven-part plan to overturn the presidential election and prevent the transfer of presidential power."

Cheney has dismissed the accusations against her as "a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth" that no "reputable lawyer, legislator or judge" would take seriously.

She said her panel had heard from "scores of Republican witnesses, including many of the most senior officials from Trump's own White House, campaign and Administration" and had produced "a highly detailed and meticulously sourced 800-page report."

Trump has a long history of attacking Cheney, the daughter of former US vice president Dick Cheney, and as recently as October called her a "Muslim-hating warmonger... who wants to invade practically every Muslim country on the planet."

She was once seen as rising star among the Republicans in the House of Representatives, but was booted from her leadership position and then lost her Wyoming seat over her criticism of Trump's refusal to concede defeat in the 2020 election.

She announced ahead of November's presidential election that she would be voting for Trump's opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump was indicted by both the federal Justice Department and the state of Georgia over his alleged leadership of a multi-pronged criminal conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

Prosecutions of sitting US presidents are barred under justice department policy and the federal case was dropped after his victory, with the state case stalled amid motions to drop the proceedings.