Trump declares Hutchinson ‘totally discredited’ as former aide says someone in his orbit tried to influence her testimony
Donald Trump appeared on the far right-wing cable channel Newsmax Thursday and falsely declared Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide and advisor to his White House Chief of Staff, has been "thoroughly discredited." Also on Thursday CNN reports Hutchinson said "that she was contacted by someone attempting to influence her testimony."
Experts have called Hutchinson's statements on Tuesday before the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack a "data and information cluster bomb," and a "smoking gun" that provides the "strongest legal evidence specifically against Donald Trump thus far."
"The committee's vice chairwoman, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said at Tuesday's hearing that two witnesses -- whom she did not name -- told the committee they had heard from people connected to former President Donald Trump's world who may have been trying to intimidate them," CNN reports. "Sources tell CNN Hutchinson is one of those witnesses."
CNN adds that at the end of Tuesday's hearing, "the committee showed testimony where witnesses were told that the former President was paying attention to the fact that they had been called by the committee and that hoped they would remain committed to Trump."
Trump Thursday told Newsmax he "hardly knew" Hutchinson, but that she was "some whack job" who "can say this stuff and get away with it."
He also claimed Hutchinson "wanted to work for me in Florida," after his term in the White House.
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"We chose not to bring her down because I got very bad things. I hardly knew her. And I said, well, she's no good. I guess somebody called up numerous people, that she's not good. I won't say why that she's not good, but plenty of reasons."
He also claimed that Hutchinson "was not respected by the people in the White House," and yet she was an aide to his Chief of Staff and her office reportedly was 40 to 50 feet from the Oval Office.
"So they thought she shouldn't go down. I was going down to Florida with a group of people a great group of people, patriots, and her name was thrown out there and they said keep stay away from her. They said bad things about her. And then I see her and I again, I hardly know who she is. And then I see this woman getting up. And she's making up stories like one after another."
"But the craziest of all was that I tried to commandeer – like they used that word – I tried to commandeer a car with Secret Service agents, telling them to take us down to the Capitol. It was totally false, and that a person can get away with it. And then I watch The [New York] Times and The Washington Post and I watch, I get reviews on MSDNC," he said, referring to MSNBC, "and CNN. They hardly even talk about the fact that she's been totally discredited."
Hutchinson's credibility has been firmly established, although numerous reports state the far right has been working to discredit her with falsehoods.
Watch the former president below or at this link:
"Whack job ... I won't say why that she's not good, but plenty of reasons" -- Trump makes all sorts of weird insinuations about Cassidy Hutchinson during a new Newsmax interview pic.twitter.com/Hpwr37n2Wr
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 30, 2022