Rep. Liz Cheney has been elevated to the No. 2 role on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., announced Tuesday that Cheney, one of only two Republicans serving on the eight-member panel, has been named vice chair.

“Every member of this committee is dedicated to conducting a non-partisan, professional, and thorough investigation of all the relevant facts regarding January 6th and the threat to our Constitution we faced that day,” Cheney said in a news release. “I have accepted the position of Vice Chair of the committee to assure that we achieve that goal. We owe it to the American people to investigate everything that led up to, and transpired on, January 6th. We will not be deterred by threats or attempted obstruction and we will not rest until our task is complete,” said Vice Chair Cheney.”

The House voted in June to create the committee to investigate the riot as well as the events that led up to it, including former President Donald Trump’s repeated false claims about widespread election fraud and his rally near the White House just before a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol.

“Representative Cheney has demonstrated again and again her commitment to getting answers about January 6th, ensuring accountability, and doing whatever it takes to protect democracy for the American people,” Thompson said. “Her leadership and insights have shaped the early work of the Select Committee and this appointment underscores the bipartisan nature of this effort.”

Thompson said it was important that the committee’s leadership “reflect the bipartisan effort we are engaged in.”

Cheney has been a vocal critic of Trump’s allegations of a rigged election, which led to her being ousted from being the GOP’s third-highest position in the House in May. 

The Wyoming Republican accepted an invitation in July from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to join the committee. The move came after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty, R-Calif., pulled his five picks to serve on the panel in response to Pelosi rejecting two of them because they had voted against certifying Joe Biden’s election win Jan. 6. 

McCarthy said at the time he was shocked Cheney accepted a committee assignment from Pelosi. "Maybe she's closer to her than us," he said.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois is the only other Republican on the committee. He and Cheney were also the only GOP members of the House who voted in favor of forming the panel after Senate Republicans blocked a bill to create a bipartisan, independent commission. 

This week, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who leads the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, circulated a letter urging McCarthy to expel Cheney and Kinzinger from the Republican conference.