Cassidy Hutchinson, the former senior aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, was the recipient of one of the messages the House committee uncovered this week as evidence of possible witness intimidation, two knowledgeable sources told NBC News.
Hutchinson, who delivered explosive public testimony about Meadows and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, was one of the vice chairmen of the witness committee, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said she was contacted before the interrogation in an apparent attempt to influence him. testimony, the sources said.
“[A person] let me know you have your statement tomorrow. He wants me to let you know he’s thinking of you. He knows you are loyal and will do the right thing when you give your statement,” the message read. The message was posted during Tuesday’s hearing, but Cheney did not say who sent or received it, or who the message was referring to.
A source close to Hutchinson’s deposition said the anonymous individual referred to as “a person” in the message was Meadows, Hutchinson’s former boss. The revelations about Hutchinson and the identity of the anonymous person were first reported by Politico.
A spokesperson for Meadows said the former congressman, who snubbed a subpoena for an interview with the committee, denied interfering in Hutchinson’s testimony. “No one from the Meadows camp, themselves or otherwise, ever attempted to intimidate or shape Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony before the committee,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment.
In her testimony on Tuesday, Hutchinson described several dramatic moments she says took place around Jan. 6 — including an allegation that Trump had a physical altercation with a Secret Service officer in an effort to join supporters at the Capitol.
She also described Meadows as disengaged during the Jan. 6 riot – even when White House attorney Pat Cipollone urged her to speak to Trump after discovering some in the crowd were chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence’ . “You heard it [Trump], Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong,” she quoted Meadows.
The message to Hutchinson was one of two Cheneys mentioned during the hearing. The other refers to a phone call that a January 6 witness described to the committee. “What they told me is that as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I’m part of the team, I do the right thing, I protect who I have to. protect, you know, I will continue to stay in good graces in Trump World,” the person recalled.
Cheney said the panel discovered the messages because they routinely ask witnesses if they’ve been contacted by former Trump administration or campaign officials “who attempted to influence or have a impact on their testimony”.
“Most people know that trying to influence witnesses to testify falsely presents very serious concerns,” Cheney said near the end of the hearing. “We will discuss these issues in committee and carefully consider our next steps.”
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