January 6, Committee Attempts to Fix Hutchinson's Testimony With Cipollone Subpoena

The January 6 Committee subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, even though he had already spoken to them on Wednesday. This was despite the fact that his testimony, by surprise witness Cassidy Hutchinson, fell apart a day earlier.

Hutchinson was a former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ aide. She testified Tuesday that others had said that President Donald Trump attempted to take control of the vehicle in which he was driving by Secret Service personnel to get to a Capitol surrounded by his supporters.

Democrats were delighted by Hutchinson’s testimony. However, the Secret Service and those Hutchinson said heard it publicly refuted her claim and stated that they would testify under oath.

Other claims were also dismissed. Hutchinson claimed to have penned a handwritten draft of Trump’s remarks on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, but former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann said that he had written it.

Hutchinson also testified that Cipollone had expressed concerns about Trump’s remarks and his desire to visit the Capitol because of the risk of “potentially obstructing justice or defrauding the electoral account.” She also testified that Cipollone had burst into Meadows’ office on Jan. 6 to urge the President to issue a statement after rioters broke into the Capitol, and that he had wanted the president to issue a strong statement condemning violence on January 7, the day following the riot.

Hutchinson claims were heardsay and not evidence.

Many sources also suggest that Cipollone might not have been present at the White House on January 6.

BREAKING: Multiple sources including one who was at the WH on Jan 6 tell me Cipollone was not there in the am when Hutchinson testified she spoke with him. This discrepancy is known by J6 Cmtes and they are refusing to answer media questions about it. It seems like she took over the whole conversation

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) June 30, 2022

Cipollone has already cooperated with the committee voluntarily in closed-door hearings, though the interviews were not under oath and were not transcribed, in deference to concerns about attorney-client privilege and executive privilege.

The committee has issued a subpoena for Cipollone to make him testify in court and under oath.

It appears that it is also trying to strengthen Hutchinson’s testimony by seeking witnesses who can confirm her hearsay claims after-the fact.

When Hutchinson was questioned by the Secret Service or others, the committee asked them for more information.

A committee spox tells @CNN: “The Committee trusts the credibility of a witness who was willing to testify under oath & in public but is also willing to hear any information that others may have that would aid in their investigation.” https://t.co/WqxSCcysgf

— Gabby Orr (@GabbyOrr_) June 29, 2022

It hadn’t previously reached out the Secret Service, or any other Hutchinson-named agencies to confirm her sensational claims.

Alternative witnesses claim that the committee misrepresented their testimony by publishing misleading portions in public hearings.

Cipollone is best known to the public as the leader of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial in 2020.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. PST). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.