During her opening remarks during the Thursday hearing, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney outlined the committee’s argument that former President Donald Trump was the “central cause” of the violence on January 6.

“The vast weight of evidence presented so far has shown us that the central cause of Jan. 6 was one man, Donald Trump, who many others followed,” Cheney said.

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“None of this would have happened without him. He was personally and substantially involved in all of it. Exactly how did one man cause all of this? Today we will focus on President Trump’s state of mind, his intent, his motivations and how he spurred others to do his bidding. And how another Jan. 6 could happen again if we do not take necessary action to prevent it,” she added.

Trump, according to Cheney, was “fully informed about the absence of widespread election fraud than almost another other American,” placing him in a “unique position.” She noted that Trump “still made the conscious choice” to declare victory and try to rescind the election despite advice to the contrary from his own campaign professionals, Justice Department officials, and senior advisers, among others.

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According to Cheney, the probe into Jan. 6 “may ultimately decide to make a series of criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.”

“But we recognise that our role is not to make decisions regarding prosecution,” Cheney continued.

Cheney concluded by urging people to take into account all of the individuals who opposed Trump and prevented his attempt to rig the election from coming to pass. She mentioned former Attorney General Bill Barr, former Vice President Mike Pence, other DOJ employees, and White House officials.

“We have no guarantee that these men and women will be in place next time,” she warned.