More Witnesses Approach Jan. 6 Panel After Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony, Kinzinger Says

Topline

More witnesses have come forward to the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack following bombshell testimony last week from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Sunday, as lawmakers prepare for more public hearings on the Capitol riot this month.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) delivers remarks during the fifth hearing by the House Select Committee … [+] to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Kinzinger told CNN’s State of the Union more witnesses approached lawmakers after Hutchinson’s testimony, and added that more people come to the committee “every day.”

Kinzinger declined to offer specifics on the witnesses’ identities, how many new witnesses have come forward or the content of their testimony.

Kinzinger called Hutchinson’s testimony “inspiring” for potential witnesses, and lauded her “commitment to truth” for coming into the public eye with her information.

The Republican said the committee finds Hutchinson credible, and said “anybody that wants to cast disparagement” on Hutchinson’s testimony “should come and also testify under oath, and not through anonymous sources.”

Key Background

The January 6 committee featured Hutchinson’s testimony on the chaotic final weeks of the Trump Administration during an unexpected hearing Tuesday. Hutchinson, a former senior aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, said former President Donald Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of a presidential limo and lunged at a Secret Service agent after he was told he could not go to the Capitol on January 6 due to security concerns, among other revelations. Hutchinson also testified Trump wanted metal detectors removed from the entrance to a rally on the morning of January 6 because it was slowing down the entry of armed people, with Trump stating his supporters were “not there to hurt me.”

Contra

After Hutchinson’s testimony, NBC News reported a Secret Service agent and the driver of the limo are prepared to testify under oath that Trump did not lunge for the steering wheel and neither of them were assaulted, leading some Republicans, including Trump, to cast doubt on her testimony. Hutchinson’s attorneys said in a statement to multiple news outlets Wednesday she stands by her testimony, which was based on a conversation she had with another White House official who purportedly witnessed the limo incident.

Crucial Quote

Committee Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) addressed the attacks on Hutchinson’s testimony in an interview with ABC News on Sunday. The committee “is not going to stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men who are claiming executive privilege,” Cheney said. “And so we look forward very much to additional testimony under oath.”

What To Watch For

The committee’s next hearing does not have a scheduled date, but committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the next hearings wouldn’t be until the House returns from a two-week recess, which ends on July 11. Cheney previously said the committee would hold a total of eight hearings, and Tuesday’s hearing was the sixth. Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said last week the final hearing will focus on “what the president was doing, and more importantly, what he was not doing” as the Capitol was under attack.