Trump’s former White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, claimed Trump loyalists tried to influence her testimony in front of the House Committee investigating January 6 congressional riots.
If Hutchinson’s claims are true, figures influencing the testimony can face charges of witness tampering.
Trump Loyalists Protecting Their Boss
According to Hutchinson, former White House ethics lawyer Stefan Passantino pressured her to hide certain things from the congressional investigative committee.
Passantino, who is also a lawyer of Hutchinson, also asked her not to recall too many events from her memory or to bring written notes at her testimony, Hutchinson claimed.
I had to stop reading the transcript of Cassidy Hutchinson's interview about her experience with her prior lawyer. It's sickening.
— George Conway🌻 (@gtconway3d) December 22, 2022
Furthermore, Hutchinson claimed Passantino asked her not to put a timeline of events, as these notes can be collected by the congressional committee.
Apart from Hutchinson’s own lawyer, Trump’s chief of staff, White House lawyers, the former lawyer of Trump’s campaign, and other officials related to Trump also pressured her to hide the truth from the House committee.
He weaponized his law license to commit obstruction of justice. This wasn’t a lawyer giving legal advice, this was a mob boss consigliere being paid to silence a witness. He should be disbarred at a minimum. https://t.co/hM0twgJWNM
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) December 22, 2022
Hutchinson Offered Jobs to Not Speak Against Trump
Not only this, but Hutchinson also claimed pro-Trump figures told her she would be rewarded with a job if she does not speak too much in front of the congressional committee.
When Passantino became her lawyer, Hutchinson continued, she started getting different job opportunities from the Trump world.
In addition to that, Hutchinson stated Passantino did not tell her he was paid by pro-Trump figures to represent her legally.
Before her March testimony in front of the House committee, Hutchinson started receiving text messages from Justin Clark, who is a former lawyer of Trump’s campaign.
One day after her March appearance in front of the committee, another Trump loyalist, Jason Miller, arranged a job interview for her, Hutchinson added.
Hutchinson, who testified in front of the committee earlier this year, offered detailed insights to Congress about the events in the White House after the 2020 presidential election.
Since Hutchinson was a close aide to Trump, she was familiar with most of the things that happened in the White House as Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election results.
The January 6 Committee issued the transcript of Hutchinson’s testimony on Thursday ahead of releasing an 800-page report that describes the findings of the committee.
Hutchinson also told congressional investigators that she did not reveal too many things in front of the committee in her first two interviews.
She was scared she might have to face the consequences if she spoke against Trump. As per Hutchinson, Trump’s world has ruined the careers and lives of multiple people; so she was also scared to speak out against the former president.
Meanwhile, Passantino dismissed Hutchinson’s allegations in a statement released to the Washington Post. Passantino claimed he represented Hutchinson honorably, adding he has 30 years of experience as a lawyer.
