The Jan. 6 House committee witness who President Trump allegedly tried to call after a recent hearing was a member of the White House support staff, CNN and NBC reported Wednesday night.
Citing two sources familiar with the matter, CNN reported Trump made the call after the committee heard public testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, late last month.
The witness was able to corroborate some of Hutchinson’s testimony, the publication reported.
NBC confirmed that the recipient of the alleged call was a support worker and had also been speaking with the commission since January 6.
Hutchinson testified that Trump knew many in the crowd at his Jan. 6 Ellipse rally were armed.
She also testified that after the rally, Trump jumped behind the wheel of his Secret Service vehicle and an agent in an attempt to join his supporters at the Capitol.
Secret Service agents are reportedly ready to rebut that part of Hutchinson’s testimony.
At the end of his latest hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the panel’s vice chairwoman, said Trump called an undisclosed witness who did not appear publicly at the hearings.
“This individual refused to answer or respond to President Trump’s call and instead alerted his attorney about the call. Their attorney alerted us, and this committee has provided that information to the Department of Justice,” Cheney said.
“We will take any effort to influence testimony very seriously,” she added.
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) called the allegation “very serious” on Wednesday and dismissed speculation that Trump accidentally picked the witness’s pocket.
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The Hill has reached out to Trump’s office and the committee since Jan. 6 for comment.
Cheney’s revelation during Tuesday’s hearing is not the first allegation of a pressure campaign by Trump and his allies against committee witnesses. The panel argued in a hearing last month that at least one witness received text messages from Trump allies before testifying.
“[A person] let me know you have your testimony tomorrow. He wants me to tell you that he’s thinking about you. He knows you are loyal and will do the right thing when you give your evidence,” a message to one witness said.
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