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Cassidy Hutchinson

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Cassidy Hutchinson
Hutchinson in 2022
Hutchinson in 2022
BornCassidy Jacqueline Hutchinson
(1996-12-12) December 12, 1996 (age 27)[1]
Pennington, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materChristopher Newport University (BA)
Notable worksEnough (2023)

Cassidy Jacqueline Hutchinson[2] (born 1996)[3] is a former White House aide who served as assistant to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the first Trump administration.[4][5]

Hutchinson testified at the June 28, 2022, public hearings of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.[6][7] She provided testimony on President Donald Trump's conduct and that of his senior aides and political allies before and during the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Hutchinson's testimony received significant national attention, with several media outlets labeling it as "compelling" and "explosive",[8][9] despite criticism from Trump allies.

Her memoir Enough was published in September 2023.

Early life and education

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Raised in Pennington, New Jersey,[10] Hutchinson graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School in 2015.[2] She studied at Christopher Newport University between 2015 and 2018,[11] graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and American studies.[12][13] Hutchinson describes herself as a "first-generation college student".[11][14]

Career

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Washington D.C.

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While attending Christopher Newport University, Hutchinson interned for Republican Senator Ted Cruz during the summer of 2016[15] and for Republican US House of Representatives whip Steve Scalise during the summer of 2017.[14][16][17][18] In the summer of 2018, she served as an intern in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.[14] Later, she became an employee of the office.

In March 2020, when Mark Meadows became Trump's fourth chief of staff, he selected her to serve as one of his aides. She soon became Meadows' principal assistant, continuing through to the end of the Trump presidency, where her title was Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Legislative Affairs.[19] She worked in an office next to Meadows' office, just down the hall from the Oval Office. She took notes at meetings and traveled with Meadows, monitoring his phone, and relaying his orders.[20] She was described as a close confidante of Meadows.[5] Identified as a "White House legislative aide", Hutchinson was the subject of a nationally syndicated AP photograph in which she was shown dancing to the Village People song "Y.M.C.A." alongside White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany at the end of Trump's September 21, 2020, campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio.[21]

In her 2023 memoir Enough, Hutchinson alleges that Rudy Giuliani groped her backstage during Donald Trump's speech on January 6, 2021.[22] She also wrote that then-Congressman Matt Gaetz made "repeated passes" at her and asked her to "escort" him to his room at Camp David in 2020.[23][24]

As Trump's term ended, Trump said that Hutchinson was supposed to work for his post-presidency operation in Florida, but the plan was "abruptly dropped" before she was supposed to begin.[5][25]

January 6 Committee testimony

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Main article: United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack public hearings § Sixth hearing – June 28, 2022
Hutchinson testifying

Under subpoena Hutchinson gave four depositions to the committee, totaling more than two dozen hours, testifying on live television on June 28, 2022.[20] Prior to her March 7 deposition, she received multiple messages from Trump allies suggesting she demonstrate loyalty to Trump in her testimony.[26][27][28] Days before her testimony, she dismissed her attorney, Stefan Passantino, who had deep connections with Trump associates, replacing him with Jody Hunt, a former longtime Justice Department official and chief of staff for Trump's first attorney general, Jeff Sessions.[29][15]

On events leading to January 6

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During the June 28 sworn testimony,[30] Hutchinson testified that she overheard mention of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys during the planning of the Save America March, when Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was present.[31] Several leaders of both groups were later indicted on seditious conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Hutchinson testified that both Meadows and Giuliani sought presidential pardons.[32] She previously told the committee in depositions that congressmen Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry and Louie Gohmert had also requested pardons.[33]

She testified that on January 3, 2021, White House counsel Pat Cipollone pulled her aside to express his concern upon hearing Trump planned to march to the Capitol with his supporters on January 6; Hutchinson recalled him saying, "We're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen."[34]

Hutchinson also revealed in her testimony that Trump threw his lunch plate against a wall in a White House dining room on December 1, 2020, when he learned that Attorney General William Barr had made a public statement that he had not discovered any evidence of election fraud.[35] The wall was splashed with ketchup.[35] On other occasions, he had "flip[ped] the tablecloth to let all the contents of the table go onto the floor and likely break or go everywhere".[35]

On January 6 events

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Hutchinson testified that Trump and Meadows were told some individuals were carrying weapons, including firearms, and therefore could not clear magnetometers to enter the rally. Trump insisted that he didn't care if his supporters had weapons and tried to order the magnetometers removed, saying "They're not here to hurt me."[36]

Hutchinson testified she was told by then-White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato that after Trump got into the presidential SUV following his rally, hoping to drive to the Capitol as his supporters marched there, his lead Secret Service agent Robert Engel told him it was too dangerous and informed him they were returning to the White House. Hutchinson said Ornato told her Trump became irate and attempted to grab the steering wheel of the vehicle, and lunged at Engel's clavicle.[32] She testified Engel was present with Ornato as he related the incident but never contradicted the account.[37] CNN reported three days after Hutchinson's testimony that it had spoken with two Secret Service agents who had heard accounts of the incident from multiple other agents since February 2021, including Trump's driver. Although details differed, agents confirmed there was an angry confrontation, with one agent relating that Trump "tried to lunge over the seat – for what reason, nobody had any idea," but no one asserted Trump attacked Engel. A separate Secret Service official told CNN that Engel denied that Trump grabbed at the steering wheel or lunged toward an agent on his detail, and that Ornato denied telling Hutchinson such.[38] Politico reported the same day that Engel told the committee during an early 2022 deposition that he had kept his full account of the incident from his Secret Service colleagues for at least fourteen months.[39] On July 14, 2022, CNN published an account about the corroboration by a Metropolitan Police officer in the motorcade of the "heated exchange" Trump had with his Secret Service detail when they refused to take him to the Capitol following his rally on January 6.[40] In March 2024, details of Hutchinson's relaying of Ornato's account were contradicted by the release of testimony from the driver of the vehicle. The unnamed driver testified that Trump did not reach for, lunge at, or grab the steering wheel, and that Trump did not scream or seem irate. The driver did corroborate that Trump sought to go the Capitol and had "irritation" in his voice.[41][42]

As the events of the day unfolded, Hutchinson recalled Cipollone telling Meadows words to the effect of, "Mark, we need to do something more.[32] They're literally calling for the vice president to be f'ing hung. And Mark had responded something to the effect of, you heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong, to which Pat said something, this is f'ing crazy, we need to be doing something more."[43]

On events after January 6

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An interview transcript released on December 22, 2022, revealed that Hutchinson gave additional testimony on September 14 and September 15, 2022.[44][45] During part of this testimony, Hutchinson stated that she was pressured by Trump allies not to talk to the committee.[46][47] She also claimed that with former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin acting as her backchannel, she was able to conduct the interview without Passantino's knowledge, and that Passantino in fact wanted her to skirt around the committee questions. Hutchinson testified to the committee that Passantino told her, "We just want to focus on protecting the president" and "We all know you're loyal" and he would help her get "a really good job in Trump world" because "We want to keep you in the family." She also testified Meadows told her Trump knew he had lost the election.[46][47][48]

Book

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  • Hutchinson, Cassidy (2023). Enough. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781668028285.

References

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  1. ^ Enough (2023), p. 4
  2. ^ a b "HOPEWELL VALLEY: High school presents awards". CentralJersey.com. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Jiménez, Miguel (July 1, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson, the little-known White House aide who exposed Trump". El País. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Levine, Mike; Faulders, Katherine (June 28, 2022). "Former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson to testify at Jan. 6 hearing, sources say". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Haberman, Maggie (June 28, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson Stuns With Testimony About Trump on Jan. 6". The New York Times. p. A14. Retrieved June 28, 2022. She was 22 years old, a rising college senior who went to work as a summer intern in the Trump White House in 2018.
  6. ^ Wagner, John; Alemany, Jacqueline (June 28, 2022). "Former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson expected to testify at surprise hearing". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Broadwater, Luke; Haberman, Maggie (June 28, 2022). "Jan. 6 Panel to Hear From Meadows Aide on 'Recently Obtained Evidence' - Cassidy Hutchinson, who has provided the committee with important testimony behind closed doors, publicly testified on June 28, 2022 as a key witness". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Haberman, Maggie (June 29, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson Stuns With Testimony About Trump on Jan. 6". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (June 29, 2022). "The Most Explosive Revelations From Cassidy Hutchinson's Testimony". Intelligencer. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Merchant, Nomaan; Tucker, Eric (June 29, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson, a N.J. Native and Trump White House Aide, Now in the Spotlight". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Olmstead, Molly (June 9, 2022). "Who Is Cassidy Hutchinson?". Slate.
  12. ^ Pengelly, Martin (June 28, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson: who is the ex-aide testifying in the January 6 hearings?". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Christopher Newport University Commencement Exercises" (PDF). Christopher Newport University. May 11, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c McGuire, Brian (November 5, 2021). "A Captain in the 'People's House'". Christopher Newport University. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Draper, Robert (July 11, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson: Why the Jan. 6 Committee Rushed Her Testimony". The New York Times. Vol. 171, no. 86381. pp. A1, A16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ^ McCarthy, Bill; Sherman, Amy; Stepnick, Hana (June 28, 2022). "What is Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson's background?". PolitiFact. Poynter Institute. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  17. ^ Olmstead, Molly (June 9, 2022). "The Jan. 6 Hearing's Most Damning Testimony Could Come From a Twentysomething Former Trump Aide". Slate. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Feinberg, Andrew (June 28, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson: Who is ex-Meadows aide testifying before January 6 committee?". The Independent. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS ON WHITE HOUSE OFFICE PERSONNEL : WHITE HOUSE OFFICE" (PDF). Trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Kranish, Michael; Dawsey, Josh; Alemany, Jacqueline; Scott, Eugene (June 28, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson's path from trusted insider to explosive witness". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  21. ^ Colvin, Jill (October 21, 2020). "Trump the dancer? His moves to 'YMCA' at rallies are a hit". WPMI. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
  22. ^ Pengelly, Martin (September 20, 2023). "Ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson claims Rudy Giuliani groped her on January 6". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference guard-20-sep2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Filkins, Dexter (February 19, 2024). "Matt Gaetz's Chaos Agenda". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  25. ^ @realDonaldTrump (June 28, 2022). "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, ..." Truth Social. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and "leaker"), and when she requested to go with certain others of the team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down. Why did she want to go with us if she felt we were so terrible? I understand that she was very upset and angry that I didn't want her to go, or be a member of the team. She is bad news!
  26. ^ Hunt, Kasie; Nobles, Ryan; Cohen, Zachary (June 30, 2022). "Hutchinson was 1 of the witnesses Trump world sought to influence, sources say". CNN.
  27. ^ Thrush, Glenn; Broadwater, Luke; Schmidt, Michael S. (June 29, 2022). "Hutchinson Testimony Exposes Tensions Between Parallel Jan. 6 Inquiries". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Woodruff Swan, Betsy; Cheney, Kyle (June 30, 2022). "New details of Jan. 6 panel's mystery messages emerge". Politico.
  29. ^ Woodruff Swan, Betsy (June 9, 2022). "Hutchinson, former Meadows aide, replaces lawyer on cusp of Jan. 6 hearings". Politico.
  30. ^
  31. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (June 29, 2022). "The Most Explosive Revelations From Cassidy Hutchinson's Testimony". Intelligencer. New York City: Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  32. ^ a b c Vogt, Adrienne; Hammond, Elise; Sangal, Aditi; Macaya, Melissa; Hayes, Mike (June 28, 2022). "Jan. 6 committee holds sixth hearing". CNN. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  33. ^ Woodward, Sam (June 28, 2022). "Who is Cassidy Hutchinson, the Meadows aide who testified before Congress?". CNN.
  34. ^ Feuer, Alan; Thrush, Glenn (June 28, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson's Testimony Highlights Legal Risks for Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c Seddiq, Oma (June 28, 2022). "Trump threw dishes and flipped tablecloths 'several times' in the White House, ex-aide Cassidy Hutchinson testifies". Business Insider. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  36. ^ Linton, Caroline; Watson, Kathryn; Albert, Victoria; Quinn, Melissa (June 29, 2022). "Former aide Cassidy Hutchinson testifies on Jan. 6 warnings, pardon requests, and Trump trying to grab the wheel". CBS News. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  37. ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (June 22, 2022). "Secret Service pledges response to Trump motorcade allegations". The Hill.
  38. ^ Gray, Noah; Cohen, Zachary (July 1, 2022). "Accounts of Trump angrily demanding to go to Capitol on January 6 circulated in Secret Service over past year". CNN.
  39. ^ Cheney, Kyle (July 1, 2022). "The Secret Service agent at the center of that anecdote about a fuming Donald Trump didn't tell colleagues about his Jan. 6 experience for at least 14 months, he's testified". Politico.
  40. ^ Gangel, Jamie; Grayer, Annie (July 14, 2022). "DC police officer in Trump Jan. 6 motorcade corroborates details of heated Secret Service exchange to committee". CNN.
  41. ^ Broadwater, Luke (March 11, 2024). "Testimony Fleshes Out Account of Trump's Demand to Go to Capitol on Jan. 6". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  42. ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (March 11, 2024). "Driver says Trump didn't lunge for wheel on Jan. 6 in newly released testimony". The Hill. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  43. ^ Here's every word from the sixth Jan. 6 committee hearing on its investigation, National Public Radio, June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  44. ^ "Interview of:Cassidy Hutchinson. Wednesday, September 14, 2022" (PDF). Select Committee To Investigate The January 6th Attack On The U.S. Capitol, U.S. House Of Representatives. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  45. ^ "Interview of:Cassidy Hutchinson. Thursday, September 15, 2022" (PDF). Select Committee To Investigate The January 6th Attack On The U.S. Capitol, U.S. House Of Representatives. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  46. ^ a b "READ: Transcripts of Cassidy Hutchinson's depositions with the House January 6 committee". CNN. December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  47. ^ a b Jansen, Bart; Lee, Ella; Slack, Donovan; Ramaswamy, Swapna Venugopal; Meyer, Josh; Tran, Ken (December 22, 2022). "Cassidy Hutchinson: 'Trump world' lawyer told her to skirt Jan. 6 questions". USA Today. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  48. ^ Broadwater, Luke; Feuer, Alan (December 22, 2022). "Jan. 6 Witness Told Panel That Lawyer Tried to Influence Her Testimony". The New York TImes.
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