Former Rep. Liz Cheney is facing renewed criticism following a handwriting expert’s analysis that suggests potential misconduct during the January 6 Committee investigation. The controversy revolves around Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide who testified that she wrote a key note on January 6, 2021—evidence that Cheney prominently presented during the committee’s hearings. However, a handwriting expert has now confirmed that the note was authored by former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann, not Hutchinson.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who chairs the House Administration oversight subcommittee, has since disclosed that the expert determined the handwriting matches that of Herschmann, not Hutchinson, as she previously testified under oath. The finding contradicts Cheney’s narrative and raises further questions about the credibility of Hutchinson’s testimony and the Democrat-controlled January 6 Committee’s handling of evidence.
During her testimony, Hutchinson claimed that she wrote the note at the direction of then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as chaos unfolded at the Capitol on January 6. Cheney, then a Republican congresswoman from Wyoming who served as the committee’s vice chair, prominently showcased the note during a televised hearing as evidence of Hutchinson’s involvement in the response to the Capitol breach. Herschmann has consistently refuted Hutchinson’s assertion, stating that he was the actual author of the note, which outlined a potential statement for then-President Donald Trump to make during the breach.
Herschmann, who was in the White House on January 6, asserted that he drafted the note in real-time while meeting with other officials. The handwriting expert’s confirmation of Herschmann’s account raises new and significant doubts about Hutchinson’s credibility. In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for Herschmann clarified that the handwritten note previously attributed to Hutchinson was actually written by him on the day of the Capitol riot.
“The handwritten note that Cassidy Hutchinson testified was written by her was in fact written by Eric Herschmann on January 6, 2021,” the spokesperson stated, adding, “All sources with direct knowledge and law enforcement have and will confirm that it was written by Mr. Herschmann.”
During a Jan. 6 hearing, Hutchinson discussed the origins of the note in question. She testified, “That’s a note that I wrote at the direction of the chief of staff on Jan. 6, likely around 3 o’clock.” When questioned about the handwriting on the chief of staff’s note card, Cheney inquired, “And it’s written on the chief of staff note card, but that’s your handwriting, Ms. Hutchinson?” She confirmed: “That’s my handwriting.”
Last week, Loudermilk said that Cheney’s backdoor communication with Hutchinson without her lawyer’s knowledge is unethical and potentially illegal and is one of several issues uncovered in his investigation that could lead to future referrals to the Justice Department.
“Well, the main issue is exactly what you just laid out, that you have a member of Congress who is an attorney, who knows— I’m not an attorney, but I know at least, you know, some of the basics of attorney-client privilege and representation — that it’s unethical, if not, in some cases illegal, you know, that you cannot have conversations or meetings with someone who already has representation without that attorney present,” Loudermilk told the John Solomon Reports podcast Wednesday.
