Pat Cipollone, a former White House lawyer under President Donald Trump, arrives in an interview room in the Ford House office building after a pause as he answers questions from investigators with the select committee of January 6, at Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 8th. , 2022.Gemunu Amarasinghe / The Associated Press
Former White House attorney Pat Cipollone “did not contradict” the testimony of previous witnesses when he appeared before the Jan. 6 committee on Friday, a grueling one-day private session that produced new information that would be disclosed in future public hearings, a lawmaker said.
Cipollone was a much-sought-after witness, especially after the bomb witness who tried to prevent Donald Trump from challenging the results of the 2020 election and worked to prevent the defeated president from joining the violent mob that haunted the Chapters, they said.
“He didn’t contradict the testimony of other witnesses,” California Democrat Zoe Lofgren told CNN on Friday afternoon.
Lofgren, a committee member, clarified that “not contradicting is not the same as confirming.” In some cases, the former White House attorney was not present at the events described or “could not accurately remember” some details, he said.
“He was honest with the committee, he was careful in his responses,” Lofgren said. “And I think we learned a few things, which we’ll be rolling out in the next hearings.”
Cipollone’s central role was highlighted during a surprise committee hearing last week when former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson described her repeated efforts to prevent Trump from joining the mob at the Capitol.
In an impressive public hearing, Hutchinson stated that Cipollone warned her that Trump would be charged with “every conceivable crime” if the defeated president went to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, trying to stop Joe Biden’s election certification. .
Hutchinson said Cipollone urged her to persuade her boss, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, not to let Trump go to the Capitol.
Hutchinson testified that he was told Trump was angry when his security team prevented him from going to the Capitol that day. The Secret Service has disputed parts of his account detailing Trump’s actions when he said he attacked the driver in the presidential caravan.
At another key time, Cipollone was also part of a meeting Sunday before Jan. 6 with Justice Department officials in the White House threatening to resign if Trump went ahead with plans to install a new prosecutor. acting general who would pursue his false claims. of electoral fraud.
During that meeting, Cipollone referred to a letter that Jeffrey Clark, the lawyer Trump wanted to install as head of the Justice Department, had proposed sending to Georgia and other battlefield states challenging his results. elections as a “murder-suicide pact,” according to the above. witness before the court.
Cipollone and his attorney, Michael Purpura, who also worked at Trump’s White House, did not respond to requests for comment.
Once a staunch presidential confidant who had defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, Cipollone had been reluctant to formally appear for a record interview. Like other former White House officials, he may have claimed his attorney to the Republican president as inside information he was unwilling to share with the committee.
Cipollone appeared for about eight hours before the court and its investigators. Cipollone was cited for his testimony, but Lofgren said he volunteered.
“A grueling day,” he said. “But it was worth it.”
Earlier this week, Trump responded to the news of Cipollone’s cooperation on his social media platform, Social Truth, calling it bad for the country.
“Why would a future president of the United States want to have sincere and important conversations with his White House lawyer if he thought there was even a small chance that this person, acting essentially as the country’s“ lawyer, ”could be someday? brought before a partisan Committee and openly hostile to Congress, “the former president said.
The court said Cipollone is “in a unique position to testify” in a letter accompanying the subpoena issued last week.
“Mr. Cipollone repeatedly raised legal and other concerns about President Trump’s activities on Jan. 6 and earlier, “President Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Said in a statement.” While the select committee appreciates the commitment. former informal of Mr. Cipollone with our investigation, the committee must hear it in minutes, as other former White House councilors have done in other congressional investigations. “
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