Tuesday saw the release of yet another batch of transcripts from the Jan. 6 committee, which included evidence from additional Trump White House officials as well as two more of its meetings with explosive witness Cassidy Hutchinson.
The most recent batch includes fresh information regarding Hutchinson's conflicting loyalties, which finally caused her to switch attorneys and give devastating testimony about what she witnessed and overheard at the White House following the 2020 presidential election.
Her final deposition with her initial, Trump-funded counsel, Stefan Passantino, was one of the transcripts released on Tuesday. She quickly recruited a new lawyer, Jody Hunt, and took another deposition on June 20, the transcript of which was also published Tuesday. That was only eight days before she gave a surprise testimony at the committee's sixth public session on Jan. 6.
The most recent batch of transcripts also revealed some of the rumors, gossip, and wild conspiracy theories that were circulating around the White House at the time, including discussions about QAnon conspiracies, while then-President Donald Trump refused to concede and attempted to overturn the election results.
Just weeks before Passantino hired a new attorney, the latest round of transcripts reveal the growing rift between Hutchinson, the former assistant to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Passantino.
According to the transcript of her May deposition, the two argue frequently. Passantino occasionally interrupts Hutchinson, warning her about her testimony and occasionally attempting to finesse what she says.
According to the transcript, Passantino assured Hutchinson during the deposition that he was not attempting to "shape what you're saying at all." Passantino claims he represented her "honorably" and "ethically," and he has denied any misconduct.
The May interview began with Trump being asked if he agreed with rioters' chants calling for the execution of then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Hutchinson stated that she did not hear Meadows make the remarks firsthand, but she did hear Meadows reference them to two White House lawyers. Passatino then cut the inquiry short, advising Hutchinson not to mistakenly reveal confidential legal advice.
She went on to claim that she overheard Meadows say to Trump, "maybe perhaps the chants were justified," which became one of the most incriminating details to emerge from her testimony and was widely presented at the panel's public hearings.
She also informed the committee that between December 2020 and mid-January 2021, she observed Meadows burn papers in his office fireplace approximately a dozen times, or once or twice every week.
Hutchinson claimed she was unaware of the nature of the documents, their originality, and whether or not their preservation was mandated by law.
