Newly-released texts show ex-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), an outspoken opponent of former President Trump, communicated with the House January 6 Select Committee’s “star witness,” former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, unbeknownst to Hutchinson’s attorney, Stefan Passantino.
The communication was facilitated by ex-Trump strategic communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin but later included direct communication between Hutchinson and Cheney herself, according to the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight 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 texts between Hutchinson, who claimed she could offer more information to the committee, and Griffin began in April 2022; the hearings started 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. That was 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 asserted.
During her testimony, Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, claimed that she was told by White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Anthony Ornato that Trump shouted: “I’m the f***ing president! Take me up to the Capitol now!” and “lunged” to seize the steering wheel from his 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 Secret Service 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.’”
The oversight subcommittee report also noted that the January 6 select committee “hid the driver’s full testimony and only favorably mentioned his testimony in its Final Report, it did not release the full transcript.”
