(LibertySociety.com) – A new interim report from the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight found “no evidence” that President-elect Donald Trump supported rioters on January 6, 2021, who chanted for then-Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged. The report, released Tuesday, also criticized the January 6 Select Committee for its handling of evidence and testimony related to the Capitol riot.
The findings contradict earlier claims made by the Select Committee, which alleged that Trump agreed with the chants targeting Pence. These assertions relied heavily on the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows. The Oversight Subcommittee’s report, however, challenges the reliability and consistency of Hutchinson’s testimony.
According to the report, Hutchinson initially failed to mention anything about Trump’s alleged support for the chants in her February and March 2022 interviews with the Select Committee. It wasn’t until May 2022, under questioning from Rep. Liz Cheney, that Hutchinson introduced the claim. Even then, her account reportedly lacked internal consistency. At one point, she claimed firsthand knowledge of Trump’s comments, only to later admit that her understanding was based on thirdhand information she overheard from White House officials.
The Subcommittee highlighted the evolving nature of Hutchinson’s story, noting that her recollection appeared to change significantly over time. For instance, Hutchinson’s most specific allegation — that Trump had “hypothetically potentially said” the chants were justified — was based on what she claimed to have overheard during a conversation between Meadows and two Trump legal advisors, Pasquale Cipollone and Eric Herschmann. The report characterized her account as unreliable and emphasized that the Select Committee accepted her conflicting narratives without scrutiny.
Further undermining Hutchinson’s testimony, the Subcommittee interviewed a White House employee who was reportedly near Trump for most of January 6. This individual’s firsthand account directly contradicted Hutchinson’s claims, stating that Trump never expressed approval of the rioters’ chants. Other witnesses familiar with Meadows also testified that he would not have casually discussed such a serious allegation in a public setting.
The report accused the January 6 Committee of prioritizing a political narrative over factual accuracy, citing its willingness to use Hutchinson’s inconsistent testimony to draw damning conclusions about Trump’s role in the Capitol riot. It also criticized the Committee for failing to corroborate Hutchinson’s claims with more reliable evidence or testimony.
The findings are likely to bolster Trump’s defense against accusations related to January 6, particularly as he prepares to take office in January 2025. The Oversight Subcommittee’s report serves as a sharp rebuke to the January 6 Select Committee’s methods and conclusions, raising broader questions about the integrity of its investigation.
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