New Details About Mysterious January 6 Panel Messages Emerge

Meadows is the person whose name was redacted in this slide. The contents of this final deposition were described to POLITICO, which could not independently corroborate the identity of the intermediary or that Meadows ordered that a message be delivered to Hutchinson before his second deposition.

The other slide the Capitol Riot Committee released at the end of its hearing with Hutchinson this week quotes an unnamed witness, now known to be Trump’s former White House aide herself, describing several calls phone calls she received from allies of the former president.

« What they told me is that as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I’m on the right team, » the slide reads. “I do what it takes. I protect who I need to protect, you know, I will continue to stay in Trump World’s good graces. And they repeatedly reminded me that Trump reads the transcripts.

Ben Williamson, a spokesperson for Meadows, told POLITICO: « No one from the Meadows camp, himself or otherwise, has ever attempted to intimidate or shape Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony before the committee. . Any phone call or message she describes is deeply misleading at best.

A lawyer for Hutchinson did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Jan. 6 committee declined to comment.

Cheney, during Tuesday’s blockbuster hearing with Hutchinson, suggested the broadcast messages were efforts by Trump allies to dissuade key witnesses from coming forward. Neither the sender nor the recipient of the messages were revealed at the time.

“I think most Americans know that trying to influence witnesses to testify falsely presents very serious concerns,” Cheney said after presenting the messages. « We will discuss these issues in committee and carefully consider our next steps. »

In a post-hearing interview, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) described the messages as possibly indicating witness tampering.

“The Vice President released two different episodes of potential witness tampering, anonymously, for obvious reasons. We don’t want more bullying of the same people,” Raskin told The Washington Post. « But we want this to be a warning to people who do it that they can’t do it. It’s a crime and this committee takes it very seriously.

Hutchinson’s testimony on Tuesday shed significant new light on former President Donald Trump’s actions in the run-up to the Capitol siege and opened up important new avenues for the select committee’s investigation. During her time in the Trump White House, she worked directly under Meadows and was sometimes referred to as « the boss’s boss. »