Politics

Trump blasts Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s ‘B.S.’ committee claim

Former President Donald Trump once more ripped Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony last week before the Jan. 6 House select committee, referencing a report that Hutchinson had previously called the proceedings “B.S.”

“Lyin’ Cassidy Hutchinson, who the Fake News Media refuses to properly reveal, recently called the January 6 Unselect Committee ‘B.S.’ Gee, that wasn’t reported by LameStream!” Trump posted Monday on his Truth Social page. 

The 45th president was referencing a Sunday Daily Caller report which alleged that on Feb. 1, Hutchinson — a former top assistant to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows — sought assistance from the American Conservative Union’s First Amendment Fund after being subpoenaed by the panel. 

“Hey (redacted)! This is Cassidy Hutchinson. Kind of a random question, but do you still work for the Schlapp’s [sic] at the ACU?” the first text reportedly from Hutchinson reads. 

Donald Trump shared his rant on Truth Social.

The recipient, whom the outlet identified only as a “conservative activist,” responded with, “Hi, Yes!” 

“Do you happen to know a First Amendment fund POC [point of contact] I could reach out to?” a second Hutchinson text read. “I was subpoenaed in early Nov., but the committee waited to serve me until last week …”

“I had to accept service because the U.S. Marshalls [sic] came to my apartment last Wednesday, but I haven’t made contact with the Committee,” a third one read. “I’m just on a tight timeline and just trying to figure out what my options are to deal with this bs.” 

Cassidy Hutchinson testified before the Jan. 6 committee last week. Getty Images

Shortly after Hutchinson’s testimony June 28, ACU chairman Matt Schlapp wrote on Twitter that she had reached out for assistance — and added he was “pleased” the organization did not assist her. 

“Ms. Hutchinson approached @CPAC for help through our First Amendment Fund which has helped J6 political victims defend themselves,” Schlapp wrote. “I am pleased we did not assist her performance today. Relaying WH hallway gossip as fact does not qualify as first person testimony.”

Since her testimony, Hutchinson has been the focus of Trump’s ire as he has attempted to discredit her allegations and impugn her character. 

Trump has spent several days trying to disprove Hutchinson’s claims. REUTERS

“The woman is living in a fantasy land,” he said of the former top aide in an interview with Newsmax last week.

“She’s a social climber, if you call that social,” Trump continued. “I think it’s just a shame that this is happening to this country, and we don’t have any Republicans up there to dispute it.”

In multiple Truth Social posts, the former president also accused Hutchinson of lying before Congress. 

Hutchinson speaks with committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney on June 28. REUTERS

“Social Climber Hutchinson lied about my attack on our great Secret Service, lied about her writing the White House note, lied about my throwing food at a wall in the Oval Office, & lied about my wanting to be surrounded by ‘people with guns’ during my ‘Go Peacefully and Patriotically’ speech (how crazy is that?), yet no guns were found in the Capitol,” Trump wrote June 30. “These lies, among others, were made UNDER OATH. What is the Justice Department going to do about this? Do we have a two tiered system of Justice?”

Hutchinson’s testimony included several jaw-dropping revelations about Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, including that he attempted to grab the steering wheel of the SUV he was being driven in and lunged toward Secret Service agent Robert “Bobby” Engel when the president was told he could not join his supporters at the Capitol. 

Sources close to the Secret Service have disputed the allegation to multiple outlets. 

She also revealed that the 45th president was aware that some in the crowd at his “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the Capitol riot were carrying firearms — but told Secret Service agents to remove the metal detectors to increase the size of the crowd.

Hutchinson alleged that Trump knew that some protesters at the “Stop the Steal” rally were armed. AP

Additionally, Hutchinson claimed that after Attorney General Bill Barr publicly disputed Trump’s election fraud allegations in December 2020, Trump threw a plate of food against a wall of the West Wing dining room — leaving ketchup dripping down. 

While Trump has repeatedly criticized Hutchinson, he has also kept up his attacks against the committee itself, calling their investigation a “witch hunt.” 

“How can I be guilty of a crime when I’m the one who wanted to stop the so-called ‘crime’ by strongly recommending 10,000 plus troops to D.C., and hence the surrounding of the Capitol, only to have this recommendation rejected by Pelosi and the Mayor of D.C., who are in charge of Capitol security? There would have been no ‘January 6’ if they had followed my recommendation,” he posted Monday. “The Unselect Committee refuses to even mention this totally conclusive and determinative fact. WITCH HUNT!”

Trump’s claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected his recommendation to have 10,000 troops in Washington on Jan. 6 has been repeatedly debunked, as former Pentagon spokesman John Kirby revealed to the Washington Post in December that the Department of Defense had “no record of such an order being given.”