Liz Cheney on Homeland Security

Calling Jan. 6 a "false flag" is un-American dangerous lie

CHENEY: None at all. You know, it's the same kind of thing that you hear from people who say that 9/11 was an inside job, for example. It's un-American to be spreading those kinds of lies. And they are lies. To call it a false flag operation, to spread those kinds of lies is really dangerous.

Radical Islamic terrorism threat grows if we do nothing

CHENEY: The over reaching threat to our freedom, Constitution, and individual liberties. How have these rights been protected? This administration has a massive expansion of the federal government and the complete disregard for the rule of law. Americans should understand that we are really at a fork in the road, and if we head down the wrong road, we are going to look a lot like a European social democracy. The other issue is radical Islamic terrorism, a threat that is getting stronger today. With both these issues there is the potential of very dire consequences if we are to do nothing.

Obama doesn't believe in American exceptionalism; I do

A: You have to look at some of his own speeches. Look at the speech he made at the U.N. in 2009, when he said no world order that elevates one nation above others can long survive. That's not somebody who believes in American exceptionalism. Going to Cairo that year, talking about how America abandoned its values after 9/11. You don't go onto foreign soil, the home of Mohammed Atta, and criticize us. This is a president who is uncomfortable with American strength, uncomfortable with American power. I believe he came into office intending to take us down a notch. I think he came into office believing we're a force for ill in the world.

Balance liberty & security, but don't shut down NSA spying

A: I think if you looked at the differences between my dad and me, I think the biggest difference is he's never been a 47-year-old mother of five. Another area is he's more confident in the NSA program. My view of the NSA program is the following: I think it saved lives. I think it prevented attacks. And I don't think we can be in a position where we're saying, shut the whole thing down. But I do know that today, with a President who so clearly flouts the rule of law and the Constitution, there are legitimate concerns about whether we have the balance between civil liberties and our security right. That's a question we have to ask constantly.

Strengthen our national security

CIA torture & black sites don't hurt human rights efforts

A: No. And I also think that it's important to make sure that we all have all the facts before we undertake discussions about any element, any aspect of the war on terror. There's been a lot of desire and attempt on the part of some members of the media and others to run with stories without all the facts. Our commitment to democracy is one that's very much understood and that has borne fruit and we've developed some very important partnerships throughout the region. In my own personal experience, I was at the State Department until 2003 and then I left for a year. In 2005, I was struck by the different atmosphere in the Middle East. The situation has changed fundamentally now: we were really running to keep up with people in the region who were calling for freedom.

Voted against combating Islamophobia.

H.R.5665: Combating International Islamophobia Act: This bill establishes within the Department of State the Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia and addresses related issues. The bill requires annual reports to Congress about human rights and religious freedom in foreign countries to include information about Islamophobia, such as:

1. acts of physical violence or harassment of Muslim people,
2. instances of propaganda in government and nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote hatred or incite violence against Muslim people, and
3. actions taken by a country's government to respond to such acts. The office shall coordinate and assist in preparing these portions of the reports.

Rationale to vote NO (Rep. Zeldin, R-NY, 12/14/21)::: Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, announced that he will vote against H.R. 5665, a partisan resolution: "Rep. Ilhan Omar's bill that is supposed to combat Islamophobia does not even define 'Islamophobia'. In fact, the way the bill is worded intentionally plays into Omar's calculating game that any criticism about any topic relating to her, even if it has absolutely nothing at all to do with her religion, could be defined as 'Islamophobia'. That is absurd and I will vote 'no'!"

Rationale to vote YES (NY1.com, 12/15/21)::: "Our country's commitment to defending freedom of religion and belief goes back centuries, and the Administration strongly believes that people of all faiths and backgrounds should be treated with equal dignity and respect around the world," a statement of support issued by the White House read. The bill comes after Republicans in Congress have targeted the three Muslim members of Congress as members of a "jihad squad."

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 219-212-3 on 12/14/2021, Roll no. 448)' introduced in Senate on 12/15/21 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; no further Senate action during 2021.