Liz Cheney Talked to 1/6 Committee ‘Star Witness’ Behind Lawyer’s Back, Texts Show
Newly released text messages have exposed former Wisconsin Rep. Liz Cheney’s alleged behind-the-scenes maneuvering to influence key testimony in the January 6th Select Committee hearings.
The damning evidence, unveiled by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, suggests Cheney may have overstepped ethical boundaries in her pursuit of damaging information about President Donald Trump.
The New York Post reported that the texts show Cheney communicating with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney at the time.
This clandestine interaction appears to have been facilitated by Alyssa Farah Griffin, ex-Trump strategic communications director, in what critics are calling an attempt to shape Hutchinson’s testimony for maximum impact against the former president.
According to the messages obtained by Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Hutchinson began corresponding with Griffin in April 2022, two months before the televised hearings.
The pair reportedly met at Griffin’s Georgetown home to discuss potentially explosive claims about Trump’s alleged agreement with Capitol mob chants to “Hang Mike Pence,” the Post has learned.
In a telling Signal message dated April 28, 2022, Griffin acknowledged the ethical quandary of Cheney’s actions, stating, “Her one concern was so long ad [sic] you have counsel, she can’t really ethically talk to you without him.”
Despite this recognition, the communications continued, culminating in direct messages between Hutchinson and Cheney on June 6, 2022, just days before the first televised hearing.
The aftermath of these exchanges saw Hutchinson part ways with her original counsel, Stefan Passantino, in favor of pro bono representation by Jody Hunt and Bill Jordan.
This change in legal representation coincided with what Loudermilk’s panel describes as a “dramatic change in testimony and eventual claims against President Trump using second- and third-hand accounts.”
Hutchinson’s subsequent testimonies included sensational allegations, such as Trump attempting to grab the steering wheel of his Secret Service vehicle and smashing a lunch plate against a wall in anger.
These claims, however, have been met with skepticism and outright denials from other White House staff and Secret Service agents.
The controversy deepened as discrepancies emerged between Cheney’s account of these events in her memoir “Oath and Honor” and Hutchinson’s recollection in her own book, “Enough.”
While Cheney claimed Hutchinson had initially considered representing herself, Hutchinson wrote that Cheney provided her with a list of attorneys to choose from.
Further complicating matters, earlier messages show Hutchinson and Griffin agreeing with Passantino’s legal strategy before Hutchinson later accused him of attempting to protect Trump and his allies at her expense.
Loudermilk’s panel has accused Cheney of using Passantino as a “scapegoat” to explain the stark differences between Hutchinson’s earlier and later testimonies, per the Post.
The fallout from these revelations has been swift and severe for Cheney.
Once a rising star in the Republican Party, she was ousted as House GOP conference chair and lost her primary to Rep. Harriet Hageman.
In a surprising move, Cheney recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump for the upcoming election, despite previously criticizing Harris as a “radical” liberal.
The damning evidence, unveiled by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, suggests Cheney may have overstepped ethical boundaries in her pursuit of damaging information about President Donald Trump.
The New York Post reported that the texts show Cheney communicating with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney at the time.
This clandestine interaction appears to have been facilitated by Alyssa Farah Griffin, ex-Trump strategic communications director, in what critics are calling an attempt to shape Hutchinson’s testimony for maximum impact against the former president.
According to the messages obtained by Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Hutchinson began corresponding with Griffin in April 2022, two months before the televised hearings.
The pair reportedly met at Griffin’s Georgetown home to discuss potentially explosive claims about Trump’s alleged agreement with Capitol mob chants to “Hang Mike Pence,” the Post has learned.
In a telling Signal message dated April 28, 2022, Griffin acknowledged the ethical quandary of Cheney’s actions, stating, “Her one concern was so long ad [sic] you have counsel, she can’t really ethically talk to you without him.”
Despite this recognition, the communications continued, culminating in direct messages between Hutchinson and Cheney on June 6, 2022, just days before the first televised hearing.
The aftermath of these exchanges saw Hutchinson part ways with her original counsel, Stefan Passantino, in favor of pro bono representation by Jody Hunt and Bill Jordan.
This change in legal representation coincided with what Loudermilk’s panel describes as a “dramatic change in testimony and eventual claims against President Trump using second- and third-hand accounts.”
Hutchinson’s subsequent testimonies included sensational allegations, such as Trump attempting to grab the steering wheel of his Secret Service vehicle and smashing a lunch plate against a wall in anger.
These claims, however, have been met with skepticism and outright denials from other White House staff and Secret Service agents.
The controversy deepened as discrepancies emerged between Cheney’s account of these events in her memoir “Oath and Honor” and Hutchinson’s recollection in her own book, “Enough.”
While Cheney claimed Hutchinson had initially considered representing herself, Hutchinson wrote that Cheney provided her with a list of attorneys to choose from.
Further complicating matters, earlier messages show Hutchinson and Griffin agreeing with Passantino’s legal strategy before Hutchinson later accused him of attempting to protect Trump and his allies at her expense.
Loudermilk’s panel has accused Cheney of using Passantino as a “scapegoat” to explain the stark differences between Hutchinson’s earlier and later testimonies, per the Post.
The fallout from these revelations has been swift and severe for Cheney.
Once a rising star in the Republican Party, she was ousted as House GOP conference chair and lost her primary to Rep. Harriet Hageman.
In a surprising move, Cheney recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump for the upcoming election, despite previously criticizing Harris as a “radical” liberal.