Cassidy Hutchinson’s ‘sensational story’ about Trump undercut by House GOP Jan. 6 report – Washington Examiner

House Republicans released their initial report on Monday on their investigation into the Democratic-led select committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the latest step in the House GOP’s look into the riots at the U.S. Capitol following the 2020 election.

Among the findings in the House Administration Committee’s oversight subcommittee report were claims that Cassidy Hutchinson’s account of former President Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 was not corroborated by other White House employees.

Hutchinson, who was the assistant to former chief of staff Mark Meadows during the Trump administration, was one of the key witnesses in the Democrats’ investigation into Jan. 6. Republicans have long sought to discredit Hutchinson and the overall findings of the select committee, challenging the committee’s work since the GOP took the House majority in 2022.

In the report, the oversight subcommittee, led by Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), said the White House provided Loudermilk with four “heavily redacted” transcribed interviews from White House employees. Upon reviewing them unredacted, the committee found the employees’ descriptions of events “did not corroborate Hutchinson’s.”

Hutchinson had testified under oath publicly and privately before the Jan. 6 committee that she had heard Trump lunged for the wheel of the presidential SUV and got into a physical altercation with his lead Secret Service agent after Trump was instructed he could not go to the rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6 to join his supporters.

“None of the White House Employees corroborated Hutchinson’s sensational story about President Trump lunging for the steering wheel of the Beast. However, some witnesses did describe the President’s mood after the speech at the Ellipse,” the report stated.

Though the Republican report notes a White House employee stated Trump’s mood was “irate” following his speech, GOP oversight subcommittee members concluded that “it is highly improbable that the other White House Employees would have heard about the President’s mood in the SUV following his speech at the Ellipse but not heard the sensational story that Hutchinson claims [Tony] Ornato told her after returning to the White House on January 6.”

While Democrats, led by then-Jan. 6 committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, believed Trump had worked to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the transfer of power to Joe Biden, Loudermilk and other Republicans have claimed the panel played up Hutchinson’s testimony and ignored other testimonies that did not substantiate the former White House aide’s claims. 

“The Select Committee, despite knowing that Hutchinson’s testimony changed substantially over time to be more dramatic, rushed into yet another Hollywood hearing even though they were not able to verify the story,” per the report.

The White House had originally sent over the interviews heavily redacted, which Loudermilk and allies believe was intentional.

“The content of these witness transcripts makes clear why the Select Committee chose not to release these transcripts despite releasing nearly every other witness transcript,” the oversight subcommittee report states. “These witnesses directly undermine claims made by Hutchinson and the Select Committee and underscore that the Select Committee only showed the public what it wanted them to see.”

Loudermilk said in a statement following the report’s release that the Jan. 6 committee “promoted hearsay and cherry-picked information to promote its political goal — to legislatively prosecute” Trump.

“The American people deserve the entire truth about what caused the violent breach at the United States Capitol of January 6, 2021,” Loudermilk said. “It is unfortunate the Select Committee succumbed to their political inclinations and chased false narratives instead of providing the important work of a genuine investigation. In my committee’s investigation, it is my objective to uncover the facts about January 6, without political bias or spin. My report today is just the beginning.”

A spokesperson for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who established the committee, declined to comment to the Washington Examiner.

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The release of the report comes the day before the oversight subcommittee is holding a hearing of Republicans’ investigation into the events of Jan. 6 over the mystery of the pipe bombs left outside of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Hutchinson’s representation and Thompson for comment.

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