I am sure most people here remember the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson during the January 6 Select Committee hearings.
Hutchinson is a former aide for Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
Part of her testimony permitted was pure hearsay, testimony that has now officially been debunked.
Someone Lied
Hutchinson has testified that Trump security official Tony Ornato told her that after Trump appeared at the Stop the Steal rally on January 6, he wanted to go to the Capitol.
When Trump was told by his security detail he could not go, she said he became angry and even “lunged” for the wheel.
This is what is called “hearsay” in the legal world, as it is not a firsthand account of the story.
In a court of law, that would not be permissible, but the committee allowed it because it pushed the narrative they wanted to push.
The committee did not even try to corroborate her comments. In fact, it went out of its way not to corroborate by not allowing agents to testify.
However, the DHS Inspector General did conduct an investigation, and agents present that day were interviewed, and they debunked Hutchinson’s testimony.
The report stated, “We also interviewed [redacted] Secret Service agents in the limousine with the President. The limousine driver said that the President was angry when his request to go to the Capitol was denied, whereas the President’s detail lead, who was seated in front of the President, said he did not recall if the President was angry.
“We asked [redacted] agents whether the President reached for the steering wheel or lunged toward the detail lead when his request to go to the Capitol was denied, and [redacted] witnesses said those actions did not occur.”
If committees have the right to refer charges, then their hearings should be conducted like a court of law instead of a kangaroo court, which the January 6 committee was.
The GOP should move to create a new rule where hearsay cannot be considered without corroboration.
Until then, committees can rig testimony to be exactly what they want without actually having to prove anything.