Hutchinson Was One of the Witnesses Trump World Sought to Influence, Sources Say

Three news sources familiar with the hearing presentation said that former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified on January 6 that she had been contacted by someone trying to influence her testimony.

At a hearing on Tuesday, the committee’s vice chairwoman, Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney, stated that two unnamed witnesses had told the committee that they had been threatened by people with ties to former President Donald Trump’s orbit. Some sources have heard that Hutchinson is a witness.

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At the end of Tuesday’s blockbuster hearing, the committee presented examples of testimony in which witnesses recounted being pressured to stay loyal to the former President by those close to him.

Hutchinson Was One of the Witnesses Trump World Tried To Sway

During the hearing, Cheney said, “We commonly ask witnesses connected to Mr. Trump’s administration or campaign whether they have been contacted by any of their former colleagues, or anyone else, who attempted to influence or impact their testimony.” He then played excerpts from witnesses’ responses to that question.

The committee presented testimony from two instances where witnesses were told that the president was aware that they had been called by the committee and that he hoped they would remain loyal to Trump.

Committee members were extremely worried about Hutchinson’s safety in the days leading up to the hearing. It was part of why they kept her identity concealed leading up to the meeting.

Closed-door testimony from Hutchinson, an associate to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, lasted nearly two hours on Tuesday and revealed that both Meadows and Trump had been informed multiple times about security threats before and during the rally and riot on January 6, 2021. Hutchinson also testified that on January 6, Trump made multiple attempts to visit the Capitol.

Punchbowl News first reported that Hutchinson was one of the witnesses mentioned at the end of Tuesday’s session.

Members of the committee have claimed that the two cases they gave were only a portion of the material they have relating to probable witness intimidation. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, a member of the committee, said that the behavior is part of a pattern of conduct by the former President.

The best corroboration of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony is Mark Meadows’s silence.

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) June 30, 2022

The former president has a “history of trying to persuade witnesses or intimidate them,” Schiff added.

When asked about the select committee’s allegations of witness intimidation, a spokeswoman declined to respond.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Cheney said the committee had evidence of a “specific conduct that raises great concern.”

One witness, Cheney said, recounted phone calls from persons interested in that witness’s evidence. Cheney claimed the unnamed witness told the committee: “What they said to me is, as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I’m on the right team. I’m doing the right thing. I’m protecting who I need to protect. You know, I’ll continue to stay in good graces in Trump’s world. And they have reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts.”

The second example Cheney offered is a call a witness received saying, “Quote ‘a person let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know he’s thinking about you. He knows you’re loyal. And you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.'”

Cheney was asked about the charges of witness intimidation or influence in an interview that aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday.

“It’s very serious,” Cheney said. “It really goes to the heart of our legal system. And it’s something the committee will certainly be reviewing.”