Who Is Cassidy Hutchinson? The Ex-Meadows Aide Testifying In Tuesday’s Unexpected Jan. 6 Hearing.

Topline

The Jan. 6 committee will hear from Cassidy Hutchinson—a senior aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows who has provided crucial information to the panel in lieu of testimony from her former boss—in an unexpected hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

A video showing Cassidy Hutchinson is displayed at a January 6 committee public hearing.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Key Facts

The House panel announced on Monday it would hold a hearing Tuesday to share “recently obtained evidence,” while not listing any witnesses, though Punchbowl News first reported on Monday Hutchinson would testify at the surprise hearing.

Hutchinson—who has interned with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and first began working for the White House in 2018—replaced her former lawyer who had deep ties to Trump earlier this month in what many viewed as a sign she was more willing to cooperate the panel, with CNN reporting Hutchinson wanted to avoid being held in contempt of Congress.

Hutchinson is expected to offer information on Meadows’ behavior and communications with Trump leading up to January 6 as well as during and after the riots, multiple outlets reported.

The former Meadows aide participated in multiple interviews with the panel and shared comprehensive information on activity in the White House before and on January 6, according to the Washington Post.

During a hearing last week, the committee shared clips of testimony from Hutchinson, including one in which the former Meadows aide shared a list of Republicans, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who she said personally sought pardons from the White House after the insurrection.

Hutchinson also confirmed to the committee that she heard former President Donald Trump endorse rioters’ chants to “Hang Mike Pence!” on January 6, the Post also reported.

Tangent

Hutchinson reportedly told the committee Meadows burned papers in his office after a meeting in the weeks following the election with Rep. Scott Perry (Pa.), a far-right Republican who was advocating for efforts to overturn the election, including in text messages to Meadows. It’s unclear what specific documents Meadows was allegedly attempting to destroy.

Key Background

Hutchinson’s testimony comes as the January 6 committee shifts focus to Trump’s behavior before and during the insurrection. A trove of text messages obtained by CNN in April showed Meadows received a host of communications from Trump allies, including his family members and elected officials, who pushed conspiracy theories about election fraud and advocated for strategies to overturn election results. Meadows turned over the text messages as well as emails related to January 6 before ultimately refusing to cooperate with the panel, a move for which the House panel voted to hold Meadows in contempt. Tuesday’s unexpected hearing comes after Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said last week the committee would delay its next round of hearings until after the House’s two-week recess, which ends on July 11, in order to review new evidence.

What To Watch For

Potential testimony from other witnesses other than Hutchinson as well as footage from British documentarian Alex Holder. It’s unclear if others will also appear alongside Hutchinson, but Thompson has said the committee is going through Holder’s footage of Trump and his family during and leading up to the riots as a part of his documentary titled “Unprecedented,” which focuses on the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

Further Reading

Top Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson to testify at Jan. 6 hearing (NBC News)

Jan. 6 Committee Announces Unexpected Hearing Tuesday (Forbes)

Jan. 6 Hearings: 6 Republicans Allegedly Asked Trump For Pardons—Including Marjorie Taylor Greene And Matt Gaetz (Forbes)

Who Is John Eastman? The Attorney At The Center Of Trump’s January 6 Strategy. (Forbes)

Who Is Rusty Bowers? Arizona’s GOP House Speaker Who Defied Trump Speaks To Jan. 6 Committee. (Forbes)