Recently released texts reveal that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), a vocal critic of former President Trump, communicated with the House January 6 Select Committee’s “star witness,” former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney, Stefan Passantino. The communication was initially facilitated by former Trump strategic communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, who is now a co-host on ABC’s controversial “The View,” but later included direct exchanges between Hutchinson and Cheney herself, according to the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, which is investigating the January 6 committee.
“Cheney interacted with the witness, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, through ex-Trump strategic communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin — and later directly — in an effort to compel further testimony …” The New York Post reported. “Though she worked behind the scenes to obtain Hutchinson’s juiciest allegations in 2022, some of which were later found to be false, Cheney never mentioned the backchannel talks with Hutchinson or Griffin in her book ‘Oath and Honor’ about the riot,” the Post added.
The X account Amuse noted of the reported meeting between Cheney and Hutchinson: “Former Rep. Liz Cheney reportedly began secretly communicating with a January 6th Committee witness without informing the witness’s lawyer—an clear ethical violation that could cost Cheney her law license. More concerning than the ethical breach, however, is the possibility that her actions could be perceived as witness tampering, or even constitute actual tampering. After starting secret communications with Cheney, Cassidy Hutchinson changed her testimony, alleging that President Trump had grabbed the steering wheel of the presidential limousine. This claim was later debunked by multiple Secret Service agents, who testified that such an event did not occur and that it was also physically impossible.”
WITNESS TAMPERING: Former Rep. Liz Cheney reportedly began secretly communicating with a January 6th Committee witness without informing the witness’s lawyer—an clear ethical violation that could cost Cheney her law license. More concerning than the ethical breach, however, is… pic.twitter.com/pk5Hw9j8J1
— @amuse (@amuse) October 16, 2024
The communication between Hutchinson, who claimed she could provide more information to the committee, and Griffin began in April 2022, and the hearings commenced two months later. On April 28, 2022, Griffin told Hutchinson that Cheney had concerns about Cheney’s own communication with Hutchinson, writing, “Her one concern was so long ad [sic] you have counsel, she can’t really ethically talk to you without him.”
On June 6, 2022, Hutchinson sent a text message to Cheney, writing, “Hi, this is Cassidy Hutchinson. I’m sorry for reaching out this way, but I was hoping to have a private conversation with you (soon) if you are willing.” Cheney texted back, “I would be happy to. Let me know what time works for you.”
“I’m free all day for a call or in-person, whichever you prefer. I really, really appreciate this,” Cheney wrote back, three days before the January 6 hearings began. The Post reported that “around the same time, Hutchinson rejected Stefan Passantino as her counsel.” The Oversight Subcommittee headed by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) “accused Cheney of using Passantino as a ‘scapegoat’ — and trying to get him debarred — in order to explain away the differences between Hutchinson’s earlier testimonies and subsequent testimonies,” the Post noted further.
During her testimony, Hutchinson, who served as an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, alleged that White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Anthony Ornato informed her that Trump had shouted: “I’m the f***ing president! Take me up to the Capitol now!” and “lunged” to seize the steering wheel of the presidential limo from his Secret Service driver to join the January 6 protesters. The subcommittee report stated Ornato “testified that the first time he had ever heard the story Hutchinson claims Ornato told her on January 6, was during Hutchinson’s public testimony.”
The agent driving the SUV also denied the story’s veracity. “The driver testified that he specifically refuted the version of events as recounted by Hutchinson,” the report stated, “The driver of the SUV testified that he ‘did not see him reach [redacted]. [President Trump] never grabbed the steering wheel. I didn’t see him, you know, lunge to try to get into the front seat at all.’”
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