CNN anchor Jim Acosta confronted Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) on Wednesday about a House Republican subcommittee siding with President-elect Donald Trump and concluding that former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney should be criminally charged should be prosecuted for investigating what happened when Trump incited an attack on the US Capitol after losing the 2020 election.

“Isn’t this banana republic stuff?!” Acosta once asked himself.

Concluding their own investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Republicans on the House Oversight Subcommittee released a report this week arguing that Cheney’s communications with former Trump adviser Cassidy Hutchinson amounted to witness tampering and that against a criminal investigation should be carried out.

“Liz Cheney could be in big trouble based on the subcommittee’s evidence that Liz Cheney likely violated numerous federal laws and those violations should be investigated by the FBI.” Thank you Congressman Barry Loudermilk for a job well done” Trump said in a Truth Social post at 3 a.m. Wednesday, praising House Administration Committee Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA).

The Republican report, which essentially parrots Trump’s argument that he was not responsible for a MAGA mob storming the Capitol as Congress was trying to certify Joe Biden’s election victory, was released a month before the president-elect’s return to white house published. The results appear to reinforce Trump’s desire for Cheney and other members of the Jan. 6 committee to be jailed for their participation.

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Cheney, for her part, responded to the report by saying it “deliberately disregards the truth and the enormous weight of evidence presented by the special committee and instead fabricates lies and defamatory accusations to cover up what Donald Trump did.”

In an interview with Burchett on Wednesday morning, Acosta brought up Trump’s reaction to Loudermilk’s findings, noting that the new president had called for the Jan. 6 committee members to be jailed.

“It is recommended that a criminal investigation be initiated against Liz Cheney. “Do you think there should be a criminal investigation into Liz Cheney, one of your former colleagues?” Acosta asked.

“If she broke the law, why should she be exempt from it?” Burchett shot back. “I guarantee if (CNN correspondent) Manu Raju or you broke the law, they would drag you all in chains to court. And why should she be exempt?” The CNN host wondered whether the pro-Trump congressman actually believed Cheney had broken the law, prompting Burchett to say she had committed illegal acts if she ” Altered evidence” and “trained witnesses,” as outlined in the GOP report.

“What is the evidence for this? “I mean, the report came out just days after Donald Trump said the committee member should go to prison,” Acosta replied. “Aren’t they just following his orders?”

Burchett was referring to the revelation that the House Ethics Committee will release the results of its investigation into former congressman Matt Gaetz over allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, and complained about the lack of “evidence against Matt Gaetz” other than a congressional report .

“You have a report. It’s the same thing,” Burchett continued. “That’s why people don’t trust the media. With one you have double standards, with the other you don’t! If she didn’t break the law, she’s fine. But if she broke the law, she should be held accountable. What’s wrong with them asking questions?!”

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Acosta noted that Burchett again brought up the Gaetz report, which he said at the start of the interview was released as part of a “revenge plan” against the Trump ally, and pressed the congressman on whether the Republicans would take an authoritarian path.

“The House Ethics Committee is voting to release this report, presumably with some Republican help,” the host said. “This is a January 6th report from House Republicans recommending a criminal investigation into Liz Cheney. Isn’t this the stuff of a banana republic?”

Burchett was taken aback by Acosta’s question and reiterated that Cheney would be “fine” as long as she “didn’t break the law” and claimed that she should not be “exempt” from prosecution.

The back-and-forth between the two continued for a few more minutes, including Acosta asking Burchett if House Republicans were just out to “go after Trump’s political enemies,” while the conservative lawmaker insisted that lawbreakers “be held accountable.” should be”. Justice” regardless of political affiliation.

After Burchett repeatedly rejected the committee’s Jan. 6 findings, Acota wondered again: “Is this about Trump retaliating and House Republicans agreeing to it?”