Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) Ended Tuesday’s hearing of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack with a direct warning to former President Donald Trump.
In the past two weeks, Cheney said, Trump has tried to call someone she identified as a witness who has not yet appeared at committee hearings. The person did not answer the call and instead alerted his lawyer, who in turn told the commission. The committee reported the call to the Justice Department, Cheney said, suggesting the possibility of a crime.
“Let me say it one more time,” Cheney, vice president of the panel, told the audience. “We will take every effort to very seriously influence the testimony of witnesses.”
The revelation was extraordinary because the call allegedly came from Trump himself, rather than an intermediary, and was followed by a notice at the committee’s previous hearing on June 28 about messages to one of the committee’s witnesses. A person familiar with the committee’s work said the two messages Cheney read aloud during the previous hearing were addressed to Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide who was the star witness of that day.
The former president has called witnesses during the January 6 investigation, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity for reveal confidential conversations. People familiar with the matter dismissed a number of former officials as recipients of Cheney’s latest outstanding call, saying it was not former White House attorney Pat Cipollone; his deputy, Patrick Philbin; former media officials Sarah Matthews or Judd Deere; or former campaign manager Brad Parscale. Matthews is expected to appear publicly at the next and possibly final hearing, people with knowledge of the plans said.
A Cheney spokesman declined to answer questions about whether Trump left a voice message, the identity of the witness, or whether the committee has evidence that the call was definitely on the Jan. 6 committee.
How Trump World pressures witnesses to deny their possible misconduct
A Trump spokesman declined to comment on who the former president might have called. “The media has become pawns of the Unselect Committee,” spokeswoman Taylor Budowich said, using a frequent phrase from Trump for the House select committee. “Liz Cheney continues to traffic in insinuations and lies that are not questioned, not confirmed, but repeated as facts because the narrative is more important than the truth.”
It is a crime to pressure someone to lie to government investigators. But prosecutions for witness manipulation usually include at least one witness and a form of corroboration, such as a written message or a recording. Without a better indication of what Trump said, it could be difficult to file a legal case, experts said.
“There are a lot of open-ended questions here as it seems like this is not a completed call,” said Andrew Weissmann, a member of the special lawyer’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. it is the recklessness of making that call. It may suggest that your circle of people willing to make your offers may be shrinking. “
Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, criticized Cheney’s revelation as a publicity stunt rather than as a serious legal concern.
“It’s a classic play of political disorientation,” said Miller, who has testified before the committee. “Cheney and the committee knew they had nothing to say today about President Trump.”
Cheney has been demanding to end each of the committee’s seven hearings with a tempting revelation, and advisers say he’s reviewing the scripts carefully and is trying to get people to understand the committee’s work and want to continue. tuning in. Her office usually refuses to say more than what she says publicly. He has also studied how impeachment trials and other investigative hearings have failed in their estimation.
Trump and his allies have a long history of pressuring witnesses to protect their boss from legal dangers, with varying degrees of subtlety. At the previous hearing, Cheney quoted the testimony of one of the contacts as a witness: one person called and said someone said, “Let me know you have your statement tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he is thinking of you. He knows that you are loyal and that you will do the right thing when you enter your deposition. “
5 conclusions of the January 6 hearing on extremism and Trump
During Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to help Trump, Roger Stone was accused of urging radio presenter Randy Credico not to cooperate with congressional investigators. even threatening Credico’s dog. The indictment included quoted emails and text messages. Stone was convicted of witness manipulation, but Trump pardoned him in December 2020.
The special attorney’s report cited an email that Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, passed on to Michael Cohen, Trump’s repairman who was about to turn against his boss. “You’re‘ loved ’,” the email said. “Sleep well tonight … you have friends in high places.”
Similarly, a Trump lawyer sent a voice message to a lawyer for Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser who was considering cooperating with the special lawyer’s investigation, reminding Flynn “what we have always said about the president and his feelings for Flynn and that still remains. ”
Former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort, who was also charged with the investigation into Russia, was ordered back in prison in 2018 after prosecutors said he and an associate contacted two members of a public relations firm to ask them to falsely testify about the secret lobby. The prosecution’s case included text messages and phone calls, as well as an affidavit from one of the people who called Manafort. Trump also pardoned Manafort.
In addition, Mueller’s report on Russia’s investigation found that Trump wanted then-White House Secretary Donald McGahn to write a note denying that Trump wanted to fire Mueller, which would have contradicted a statement that McGahn had already done.
Next Congress ally Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Also faced an ethics investigation to tweet about Cohen before his testimony before a House committee in 2019. “Your wife and father-in-law know of “Your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for this talk. I wonder if she’ll stay faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot.” Gaetz apologized and deleted the message. The House Ethics Committee criticized Gaetz, but concluded that he did not violate laws against witness manipulation.
The January 6 insurrection
The select committee of the House investigating the January 6, 2021 uprising held a series of high-profile hearings in June. That of the committee The next public hearing is scheduled for July 12.
Hearings in Congress: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has held a series of hearings to share its findings with the American public. The sixth hearing featured an explosive testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide.
Will there be charges? The committee could make criminal references to former President Donald Trump for his role in the attack, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) Said in an interview.
What do we know about what Trump did on January 6th: New details emerged when Hutchinson testified before the committee and shared what he saw and heard on Jan. 6.
The riot: On January 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mafia stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop certification of the results of the 2020 election. Five people died that day or immediately thereafter, and 140 police officers were killed. attacked.
Inside the siege: During the riot, rioters came dangerously close to entering the building’s inner shrines while lawmakers were still there, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos, and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6.