Members of a House panel on Jan. 6 said Sunday that more witnesses have come forward since White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s blockbuster testimony last week — as Congresswoman Liz Cheney acknowledged that the panel could subpoena the Justice Department against former president donald trump.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called Hutchinson’s appearance before the House Select Committee last Tuesday “inspirational for a lot of people.”
“This happens every day. Every day we get new people who come forward and say, hey, I didn’t think maybe this part of the story that I knew was important, but now that you’re talking … I see that playing out here,” Kinzinger said in CNN’s State of the Union.
Host Dana Bash asked if the Americans would hear from new witnesses.
“Yes. There will be – there is. There will be much more information. And stay tuned,” Kinzinger confirmed.
The committee suddenly called a hearing last Tuesday to hear testimony from Hutchinson, a top aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger said more witnesses appeared before the House committee on Jan. 6 after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File
Among her explosive claims, Hutchinson told lawmakers that an angry Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his limousine after Secret Service agents told him they couldn’t drive him to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then threw himself to the throat of one of his agents.
She also said Trump told the Secret Service to let his supporters into the “Stop Theft” rally earlier that day at the Ellipse, even though he knew some of them had guns, in an effort to make the crowd bigger .
“They are not here to hurt me. Get the fucking magazines [magnetometers] away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here,” she recalled the 45th president saying.
Kinzinger said Hutchinson’s testimony was “inspirational for a lot of people.” Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Hutchinson testified that former President Donald Trump tried to grab the wheel of his limousine when Secret Service agents refused to drive him to the Capitol on the day of the riot. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Cheney, the top Republican on the committee, told ABC News on “This Week” that it was possible the committee would forward a criminal referral to the Justice Department against Trump.
“Ultimately, the Department of Justice will decide this. I think we as a committee might have an opinion on that, and if you just think about it from the perspective of what kind of person knows that the mob is armed and sends the mob to attack the Capitol,” Cheney of Wyoming said in the interview that aired Sunday.
When host Jonathan Karl asked Cheney, the committee’s vice chair, if a criminal referral was possible, she said, “Yes.”
Rep. Liz Cheney said it was possible the committee could refer the Justice Department to Trump. ABC This week
Cheney, who is running against an opponent in next month’s Wyoming Republican House primary, said people should be held accountable for what happened on Jan. 6.
“I think it’s a much more serious constitutional threat if a president can engage in these kinds of activities and, you know, the majority of the president’s party looks the other way or we as a country decide, you know, we’re not going to actually take our constitutional duties seriously. I think it’s a much more serious threat,” she said.
Both Cheney and Kinzinger also backed Hutchinson against accusations that she fabricated the claims about Trump.
Initial reports, citing unidentified sources, said the Secret Service disputed the claims about Trump in the limo. However, other reports say that Secret Service agents heard of a confrontation in the motorcade that day.
Cheney said Hutchinson’s testimony “contains significant evidence on a whole range of issues” about Trump and the insurgency. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
“The committee will not stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men claiming executive privilege. And so, we look forward to additional affidavits on a whole host of issues,” Cheney said.
Asked if the panel had information to corroborate Hutchinson’s testimony, Cheney said there was “substantial evidence on a whole range of issues, including the president’s intense anger.”
Kinzinger noted that while Trump and his allies have disputed her testimony that the former president was reaching for the wheel, no one has said he didn’t want to go to the Capitol or that he didn’t know his supporters were armed.
He said those who call Hutchinson a liar should testify under oath, as she did.
“But we would certainly say Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath. We find it credible,” Kinzinger said. “And anyone who wants to throw scorn on what they witnessed firsthand should come and also testify under oath, not through ”anonymous sources” - quote without quotes - and not potentially anonymous source.”
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