Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) reportedly communicated with a witness who was being questioned by the January 6 Select Committee despite not having an attorney present.
In a press release from House Administration Committee chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI), it was revealed that Cheney began communicating with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, through Alyssa Farah Griffin, who previously served as the White House director of strategic communications and assistant to former President Donald Trump.
Cheney communicated to Hutchinson through Griffin without Hutchinson’s attorney’s knowledge.
Hutchinson reportedly reached out to Griffin in April 2022, after her “second transcribed interview,” and the two reportedly met at Griffin’s townhome in Georgetown. During this meeting, Hutchinson informed Griffin that “she had more information she could provide to the Select Committee,” according to the press release.
When Hutchinson reached out to Farah Grifffin, she invited Hutchinson over to her Georgetown townhome to talk on April 26, 2022. That evening, Hutchinson told Farah Griffin she had more information she could provide to the Select Committe, according to statements by both Hutchinson and Farah Griffin. During their conversation, Farah Griffin agreed to “[contact] Liz Cheney on [Hutchinson’s] behalf about scheduling another interview.” Hutchinson’s new testimony would include her never-before-heard story that alleged that President Trump agreed with rioters chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”
Despite Griffin communicating to Hutchinson in a message on the encrypted messaging app called Signal that Cheney’s “one concern was so long as Hutchinson had counsel, Cheney was unable to “really ethically” speak with her without her attorney, Stefan Passantino, present.
Griffin reportedly went on to act “as an intermediary for Cheney,” during which time she “helped coordinate Hutchinson’s third transcribed interview” with her attorney’s knowledge.
Hutchinson and Griffin also reportedly “colluded to create a false story” to give to Hutchinson’s attorney as to why she “needed to do a third transcribed interview” before the January 6 Select Committee.
In her May 17, 2021, transcribed interview Hutchinson testified to a series of uncorroborated and unverified stories that conveniently fit the Select Committee’s narrative that President Trump is dangerous and solely responsible for the events of January 6. Despite already testifying to the Select Committee twice, Hutchinson never previously mentioned this “new information.”
After Hutchinson’s third transcribed interview, which Cheney “led,” Hutchinson “reached out to Cheney directly.” Soon after they began communicating with each other Hutchinson “fired Passantino” and Cheney “provided Hutchinson with new attorneys,” according to the press release.
When Hutchinson texted Cheney, she was still represented by Passantino which, [sic] Cheney knew. Cheney and Hutchinson communicated directly for days without Passantino’s knowledge. Subsequently, Cheney provided Hutchinson with new attorneys from Alston and Bird—pro bono.
Days after Cheney began communicating directly with Hutchinson, Hutchinson fired Passantino and hired Cheney’s recommended attorneys, who agreed to represent Hutchinson pro bono. Within a few weeks, Cheney brought Hutchinson in for a secretive fourth transcribed interview. During this fourth transcribed interview, only Cheney and one other Committee counsel were present, in addition to Hutchinson’s new counsel. During this fourth transcribed interview Hutchinson testified to some of her most outlandish new claims.
After switching attorneys, the January 6 Select Committee created a story, making “Passantino the scapegoat,” in order to “ensure Hutchinson’s credibility as a witness.”
“They manufactured the story that Passantino gave Hutchinson faulty advice — such as instructing Hutchinson to withhold information, to misrepresent her testimony, and even that Passantino implied he would help Hutchinson with employment in return for favorable testimony,” the press release continues.
Cheney has previously falsely claimed that Breitbart News’ senior legal analyst Ken Klukowski had been sent to the Department of Justice “by John Eastman to work under” Jeff Clark.
The Federalist’s Margot Cleveland reported in June 2022 that Klukowski had issued a statement exposing Cheney’s “false portrayal of him as being sent by John Eastman to work under Clark,” adding that “Klukowski provided the committee documents establishing that his transfer to ‘the Civil Division of the DOJ was in the works since July 2020, long before Jeff Clark was the acting head of that Division.'”