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January 6th Committee Hearings Thread of Dominance


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Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and a witness to many critical events and conversations, is expected to testify publicly on Tuesday before the select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Her planned appearance was first reported by Punchbowl News.

Hutchinson has already been interviewed by the committee behind closed doors and video clips from her deposition have been featured by the panel during earlier hearings. But her live testimony would mark a significant moment in the committee's series of hearings as Hutchinson has long been considered one of its most consequential witnesses due to her proximity to former President Donald Trump's then-White House chief of staff.

The appearance was hastily arranged on a week where no public activity had been anticipated and a public hearing was announced by the committee just 24 hours before it was set to begin. The rush to hold the hearing -- after the panel had said it would not hold any more until July -- underscores the importance of Hutchinson's expected live testimony.

Hutchinson has answered the panel's questions during three separate sessions and went over "new ground" with the committee last month, though it was not immediately clear what was discussed during that deposition.

During one hearing last week, the committee played a video clip of Hutchinson testifying that Meadows and former President Donald Trump's onetime attorney Rudy Giuliani were involved in early conversations about putting forward fake slates of electors -- a core tenet of the broader effort to overturn the 2020 election.
 
The panel has also played video of Hutchinson testifying that Rep. Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, wanted then-Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark to take over the department -- connecting another key part of Trump's effort to upend Joe Biden's election win.
"He wanted Mr. Clark -- Mr. Jeff Clark -- to take over the Department of Justice," she said of Perry in a clip of her deposition that was played at a hearing last week.
Hutchinson also named several Republican members of Congress who she said had inquired about pardons, either for themselves or others, in the lead-up to January 6, according to other video played by the committee during its hearings, including: Perry and Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Louie Gohmert of Texas.
 
CNN has reported that during one of her interviews with the committee, Hutchinson said Trump had suggested to Meadows that he approved of the "hang Mike Pence" chants from rioters who stormed the US Capitol.
 
She also testified that Trump had complained about his then-vice president being hustled to safety while Trump supporters breached the Capitol, the sources previously told CNN.
CNN previously reported that Hutchinson was likely to testify in person during one of the committee's upcoming hearings after she replaced her lawyer who had significant links to Trump, according to a source familiar with the matter.
 
She was not willing to risk getting a contempt of Congress charge in order to impede the probe, the source familiar said, and the change in representation was a sign that she was more willing to cooperate with the committee.
 
The panel has not revealed the topic of the hearing, which will start at 1 p.m. ET and will mark its sixth hearing this month. A source familiar with the committee's plans had told CNN earlier Monday that the panel was concerned about the security of a potential witness ahead of Tuesday's hearing. The safety of the witness and the proceedings in general is in part why the committee has been so secretive about who would appear on Tuesday and what topics would be discussed.
The security concerns have also led to new precautions being taken inside the hearing room. Another source told CNN that some of the people who had regular front row seats for hearings were told they likely will not get them on Tuesday for security reasons.
A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on its preparations for Tuesday's hearing, which were first reported on by The Washington Post.
 
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11 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

I’m not going to pre-judge the testimony. Last minute announcement for live testimony and leaks about security concerns sure seems like someone thinks this is important. 

It’s extremely important. Except it was already in her testimony, they haven’t done a good job of explaining why it’s important and how it should equate to a Trump conviction. It is a slam dunk case and they are spending too much time trying to hype it. They are the UT football coaches without the commitments. 
 

Dems really need messaging consultants. 

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/28/jan-6-committee-hearings-live-updates-day-6/

 

Quote

Cassidy Hutchinson switched lawyers ahead of the hearings this month by the Jan. 6 committee, a move widely seen as a signal that the aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was willing to cooperate with the panel.

Her previous lawyer, Stefan Passantino, had deep connections to those around former president Donald Trump. Passantino served as a White House ethics lawyer early in Trump’s tenure before leaving in 2018 to join a law firm that also included Reince Priebus, Trump’s first chief of staff.

 

Quote

Hutchinson’s new lawyer, Jody Hunt, is a longtime confidant of Jeff Sessions, the former Republican senator from Alabama who served as Trump’s first attorney general. Hunt was chief of staff to Sessions during the stretch when Sessions drew Trump’s wrath by recusing himself from the investigation into possible coordination between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

 

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Yes, if the electorate doesn't get that a coup was attempted after all the well organized testimony to date provided by the committee, then it's clear that a pithy message is called for to really make it clear.

Sometimes. Nothing. Works.

It's been laid out. More is to come. The story is right there and easy to grasp. If nothing changes, it will not have been much impacted by whatever some of you are looking for in terms of "messaging." I think you're stuck on an opinion that has applied to other things. Not this.

We've been shown the film of Pearl Harbor (live coverage of the insurrection). We've seen credible, well presented evidence of the conspiracy. If the country doesn't think it's a big deal, then there really isn't much else you can do. 

In this case, complaining about the tactics of messaging is sort of like being disappointed the coaches didn't call the touchdown play. Why don't they call the touchdown play? Bad play calling!

Or

Nothing would have worked, and they took their best shot.

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The only thing the January 6th Bi-Partisan Select Committee can do is present a case to the public.  There is about 40% of the voting public that is gullible as shit and couldn't pass a freshman ethics or logic class if their lives depended on it.  These Republicans are unreachable, because they PREFER to believe lies than ever take a second seeking the truth.  So what the Committee is trying to do is show more the depth and breadth of the coup.  Show how not only was Trump as corrupt as everyone (even his supporters) know him to be.  The use of the mechanizations of government corrupted from the top, are what the show is.

Interestingly I think that in a closely divided nation you are more likely than not to look at this point in time and see an irreparable shift away from the Republican party by young people.  It's possible that inflation can carry the GOP as politicos would expect.  While that is still the most likely scenario there is another scenario playing itself.  Freedom loving Americans, (not the fake ME Freedom flag waving fakes) will recognize the dangers that the GOP poses.  IF you are a woman and you see your individual rights being taken away, and also seeing the corruption so fulling integrated into the national Republican party via these hearings, are you gonna vote for Trump and Co?  Even if gas is high as shit?  I don't think so.

But most importantly what right now does the Republican party have that appeals to young people that don't have a predisposition towards bigotry and racism, or simply voting trust fund wallet purely.  What's the draw?  Old white men?  The Committee will show more of the clear and present danger and corruption Trump and all his minions were and are to democracy.   The only folks that may be influenced are the thinking public.  So that leaves out about the 40% of the voting population that are part of a cult based on never ending lies and rationalizations.  Young kids can see this shit.  So the GOP may indeed win the mid-term, but I think that the GOP is corrupt, is a message that will ring factually true to probably the other 60% of the non-cult member voting public.

I also think it's good to pop something out for the long weekend.   I guess the other reason I like the committee, is that at least they are trying to let the public know the truth.

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5 minutes ago, horn4life said:

So the GOP may indeed win the mid-term, but I think that the GOP is corrupt, is a message that will ring factually true to probably the other 60% of the non-cult member voting public.

And as long as the electoral college is still a thing it makes no difference.

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5 minutes ago, South Austin said:

So help me out here -- is she the equivalent of Margaret, the aid to Leo McGarrity?  If so, it does seem odd that she'd be in on every meeting.  But then again, my only frame of reference is West Wing.

in terms of west wing characters, that's probably the best possible analogue...though probably more accurate to describe her as being if donna worked for leo instead of josh.

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I'm out sick for today so I've been doing some reading on Cassidy Hutchinson - today's witness - and noticed she just changed her lawyers. Previously had retained Stefan Passantino, a Trump White House ethics lawyer. Her new lawyer is Jody Hunt, a close ally of Jeff Sessions. Jody Hunt was also a witness in the Mueller investigation and his notes gave us the notable trump quote: "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked"

Considering that Ms. Hutchinson is who identified and provided evidence for which MAGAs were requesting pardons, I'm cautiously hopeful it's going to be some big news this lunch hour

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2 minutes ago, Captainant said:

I'm out sick for today so I've been doing some reading on Cassidy Hutchinson - today's witness - and noticed she just changed her lawyers. Previously had retained Stefan Passantino, a Trump White House ethics lawyer. Her new lawyer is Jody Hunt, a close ally of Jeff Sessions. Jody Hunt was also a witness in the Mueller investigation and his notes gave us the notable trump quote: "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked"

Considering that Ms. Hutchinson is who identified and provided evidence for which MAGAs were requesting pardons, I'm cautiously hopeful it's going to be some big news this lunch hour

I was reading somewhere else that she feels that she is being forced to testify by Meadows' refusal and is thus resentful of the administration.

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Just now, TwiceHorn said:

I was reading somewhere else that she feels that she is being forced to testify by Meadows' refusal and is thus resentful of the administration.

She could show up with a recording of TFG saying "I don't care what the election results say, I want our allies to use violence to keep me in office.  Murder Pence if you have to, do whatever it takes to keep me in office, regardless of what any election results say," and it wouldn't fucking matter.  You all know that.

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Just now, Brisketexan said:

She could show up with a recording of TFG saying "I don't care what the election results say, I want our allies to use violence to keep me in office.  Murder Pence if you have to, do whatever it takes to keep me in office, regardless of what any election results say," and it wouldn't fucking matter.  You all know that.

I wonder if with the recent huge tranche of documentary footage, some her or others claims that were hearsay are now corroborated? I'm still trying to figure out why the committee has been so cloak and dagger and urgent with this specific hearing. 

Maybe it has something to do with the threats from MTG and the rest of the redhats

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34 minutes ago, South Austin said:

So help me out here -- is she the equivalent of Margaret, the aid to Leo McGarrity?  If so, it does seem odd that she'd be in on every meeting.  But then again, my only frame of reference is West Wing.

 

27 minutes ago, sidis said:

in terms of west wing characters, that's probably the best possible analogue...though probably more accurate to describe her as being if donna worked for leo instead of josh.

funny, i thought about exactly this earlier this morning.  yes, i would say she is margaret, who leo basically kept out of every meeting, but i think she was on some phone calls.  even donna, though way more involved, didn't generally sit in on meetings, though she was often first in the loop on the staffer level.  for television purposes, there were typically never more than 2-3 people in any office at any time, but i don't think that's realistically how it would work.

in the trump white house (and most white houses i would imagine) there are redundancies everywhere, several people sitting in on meetings, lots of people muted on phone calls, and always people somewhere taking notes.  feels weird, criminal conspiracy and all, but they always thought they were above the law, so they probably didn't even think about it.

the trump administration also seemed to be super lazy about shit, so it's not surprising that they would rely on staffers to always be around taking notes.  makes things awkward if anyone ever needs eyeball (earball?) witnesses.

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There is nothing. NOTHING. that can come out of the January 6th committee that will change any Trumper's mind or the larger voting block IMO.

Even if a video tape of him confessing to a coup / directing violence / or calling for Pence's murder existed, half the country would deny it / rationalize it / 'both sides' it.

Fox News, right wing media, social media, foreign actors, and capitalizing right wing politicians have so successfully lobotomized the largest voting block (white boomers) in American history that our only hope is wait out their eventual death. Maybe then do we have an opportunity to start to rebuild.

It's either that or young people somehow put down their phones and revolt.

My $ is on another 10-20 years of a continued downward spiral.

Hopefully the world / America isn't beyond saving by that pt.

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The three circles of defense that Trump has been using to shield himself: 

1. Trump really believed he won the election

2. He was exercising what he thought were legal options based on that belief;

3. The mob he incited was a protest that got out of hand.

Hutchinson is thought to help move this along. 

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1 minute ago, Dnaguy said:

There is nothing. NOTHING. that can come out of the January 6th committee that will change any Trumper's mind or the larger voting block IMO.

Even if a video tape of him confessing to a coup / directing violence / or calling for Pence's murder existed, half the country would deny it / rationalize it / 'both sides' it.

Fox News, right wing media, social media, foreign actors, and capitalizing right wing politicians have so successfully lobotomized the largest voting block (white boomers) in American history that our only hope is wait out their eventual death. Maybe then do we have an opportunity to start to rebuild.

It's either that or young people somehow put down their phones and revolt.

My $ is on another 10-20 years of a continued downward spiral.

Hopefully the world / America isn't beyond saving by that pt.

I don't think they are the intended audience. I think it's for the silent majority of people who aren't politically engaged and don't want democracy ended.

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