A House of Representatives selection committee investigating the January 6th uprising warned on Tuesday of efforts to pressure witnesses to give false or false testimony, citing possible examples of intimidation campaigns that are causing “significant concern”.
Why it matters: The warning came after former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave humiliating testimony linking former President Trump directly to the attack.
What they say: “The easy course is to hide from the spotlight and deny what happened,” said Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Deputy chairman of the committee, at the committee’s sixth hearing before sharing: ” we have evidence of a specific practice that is of considerable concern. “
- “Our committee usually asks witnesses related to Mr. Trump’s administration or campaign if they have been contacted by any of their former colleagues or by anyone else who has tried to influence or influence their testimony.
She then read aloud an example in which a witness described phone calls from people who were interested in their testimony.
- “What I’ve been told is that as long as I’m still a team player, they know I’m on the right team … I’m defending who I have to defend, you know, I’ll continue to stay with good graces in Trump World. And they reminded me several times that Trump did read transcripts, just to keep that in mind as I continued my testimony and interviews with the committee. ”
- In another example, someone called a witness and said that an unnamed person “wanted to let you know that they thought of you.” He knows you are loyal and you will do the right thing when you procrastinate.
- “I think most Americans know that trying to persuade witnesses to testify falsely is a very serious concern,” Cheney said. “We will discuss these issues as a committee, carefully considering our next steps.
The big picture: Hutchinson, who was Meadows’ most trusted aide, was a key witness for the commission.
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