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GOP Rep. Liz Cheney criticizes Republicans 'attacking the integrity of the FBI'

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., called out fellow Republicans Thursday for their criticism of the FBI in the hours and days after its agents searched the Florida home of former President Donald Trump.

"I have been ashamed to hear members of my party attacking the integrity of the FBI agents involved with the recent Mar-a-Lago search. These are sickening comments that put the lives of patriotic public servants at risk," Cheney tweeted on Thursday, shortly after Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke at the Justice Department about the search.

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday denounced the threats circulating online against federal agents and the Justice Department, calling them "deplorable and dangerous."

Since the law enforcement action at Mar-a-Lago, right-wing Republicans have called for the defunding of the FBI, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who tweeted "DEFUND THE FBI" on Monday night.

At the recent CPAC meeting in Dallas, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said he wanted to strip funding from both the FBI and Justice Department over their roles in Jan. 6 Capitol attack investigations, according to reports from Vice and MSNBC.

More: GOP, long the law and order party, slams FBI, Justice Department over search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago

Warrant motion: AG Merrick Garland: Justice Department files motion to unseal Mar-a-Lago search warrant

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., says President Donald Trump did nothing but watch as his supporters attacked the Capitol.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., says President Donald Trump did nothing but watch as his supporters attacked the Capitol.

Cheney faces tough primary on Aug. 16

Cheney has been a fierce critic of Trump and some of his allies, and, with her vice chairmanship of the House's Jan. 6 committee, has sought to spotlight his actions related to the Capitol attack.

She faces Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman in a Wyoming primary on Tuesday; Cheney is a clear underdog in the race.

In June, Cheney urged the Republican Party to rid itself of Trump, calling the former president a clear and present threat to both the GOP and to American democracy at large.

"We have to choose, because Republicans cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution," Cheney said during an address at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

Contributing: David Jackson, Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liz Cheney criticizes Republicans 'attacking the integrity of the FBI'