The New Abnormal: Cassidy Hutchinson Speaks

I’m listening to the House Select Committee on January 6th, 2020 events and its emergency public hearing featuring former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, and thought I’d make some notes here.

Cassidy Hutchinson served as an aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, in an office down a relatively short hallway from the Oval Office.

After initial background questions from Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, the first question from Vice-Chair Liz Cheney asked what Hutchinson had to say about events of January 2nd, 2020. Hutchinson related walking former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani out to his vehicle after an evening meeting at the White House. Giuliani asked Hutchinson if she was excited about January 6th, then telling her that they were going to the Capitol then, including the President, and that Trump would look so strong, and that should should talk to Meadows about it. When she asked Meadows about the 6th, his reply was that things could get bad.

This establishes that the march on the Capitol was no spur-of-the-moment affair, and was known to Giuliani and Meadows as of Jan. 2nd.

Then the taped deposition showing Hutchinson’s testimony of Meadows being briefed on the Jan. 6th crowd including a litany of weapons observed among members of the crowd, and that Meadows showed no surprise at the information. Also, that the President was briefed on the weapons as well.

And now the taped deposition with Hutchinson’s testimony that former President Trump insisted that the magnetic security points be removed at the Mall, that the people being kept out because they had weapons should be allowed in because they “they’re not here to hurt me” and then “they can march to the Capitol”.

In other words, Trump was fine with an armed crowd marching on the Capitol.

I’ve gotta step away.

Nick Luna taped deposition saying Trump wanted to go to the Capitol with the crowd.

Text conversation of Hutchinson with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy over Trump saying he was going to the Capitol, and McCarthy was mad about that.

Hutchinson describing being told of Trump assaulting Secret Service personnel on the ride back to the White House on Jan. 6th because the refused to take him to the Capitol.

Missed a chunk, but at the end Cheney noted there is a campaign to influence or intimidate witnesses, telling them that they need to continue to protect who they need to protect, and that “Trump reads transcripts”.

That last bit is hilarious. There’s no evidence that Trump reads much of anything. He was famous for not being to make it through a couple of pages of executive summary in presidential daily briefings, not unless he was prominently mentioned by name often. But seriously, *someone* is reading transcripts for Trump and telling him who he should be mad at. And that is still personally dangerous for people.

I’ll try to update to cover other bits later.