Lawyer for Key Jan. 6 Witness Seeks to Rebut Panel’s Claim of Interference - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — A erstwhile lawyer for a White House adjutant who became a cardinal witnesser for the House Jan. 6 committee took a permission of lack from his instrumentality steadfast connected Tuesday and defended himself against what helium said were mendacious insinuations by the sheet that helium had interfered with his client’s testimony.

The lawyer, Stefan Passantino, represented Cassidy Hutchinson, an adjutant to the White House main of unit astatine the extremity of the Trump administration, successful the aboriginal stages of the committee’s investigation. He made the comments successful a connection archetypal reported by CNN, a time aft the committee released an enforcement summary of its findings.

In the summary, the committee suggested that lawyers aligned with erstwhile President Donald J. Trump had interfered with its work.

Without naming Mr. Passantino oregon others, the committee suggested that radical connected to Mr. Trump had attempted to power astatine slightest 1 witness’s testimony, promising her jobs that ne'er materialized and coaching her to beryllium little than forthcoming with the panel.

People acquainted with the committee’s enactment identified the witnesser successful question arsenic Ms. Hutchinson, who provided immoderate of the astir melodramatic nationalist grounds astir the behaviour of Mr. Trump up of and during the riot. Some members of the committee person been trying to support Ms. Hutchinson, and to support elements of her grounds from challenges by immoderate of her erstwhile colleagues.

In a statement, Mr. Passantino — a lawyer and morals adept successful the White House Counsel’s Office nether Mr. Trump arsenic good arsenic a erstwhile counsel to Speaker Newt Gingrich — said that helium had represented Ms. Hutchinson, arsenic helium had different clients, “honorably, ethically, and afloat accordant with her sole interests arsenic she communicated them to me.”

Mr. Passantino said helium was taking the permission of lack from his steadfast due to the fact that the concern with the committee had go a “distraction.”

During the people of the committee’s investigation, Ms. Hutchinson replaced Mr. Passantino arsenic her lawyer. His fees were being paid by Save America, Mr. Trump’s governmental enactment committee.

The committee said successful its study that a lawyer had advised a client, believed to beryllium Ms. Hutchinson, that she could unreal to not callback definite facts, refrain from discussing facts that formed Mr. Trump successful a antagonistic light, and not close grounds that was untruthful. According to the committee, the lawyer instructed the lawsuit astir a peculiar contented that would formed a atrocious airy connected Mr. Trump: “No, no, no, no, no. We don’t privation to spell there. We don’t privation to speech astir that.”

The committee said the Justice Department was already alert of the matter. Some witnesses interviewed by expansive juries investigating matters related to Mr. Trump person been asked who is paying for their lawyers.

“The committee has important concerns regarding imaginable efforts to obstruct its investigation, including by definite counsel (some paid by groups connected to the erstwhile president) who whitethorn person advised clients to supply mendacious oregon misleading grounds to the committee,” the sheet wrote.

It added: “The committee is alert that some the U.S. Department of Justice and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office person already obtained accusation applicable to these matters, including from the committee directly. We impulse the Department of Justice to analyse the facts to discern whether prosecution is warranted.”

The committee’s enforcement summary besides suggested that idiosyncratic had dangled a lucrative occupation connection to Ms. Hutchinson that disappeared arsenic she became much cooperative with the committee. Others, including immoderate with ties to Mr. Trump, person maintained that it was Ms. Hutchinson who told Mr. Trump’s aides that she was facing fiscal jeopardy, prompting an connection of help.

In his statement, Mr. Passantino said helium “believed Ms. Hutchinson was being truthful and cooperative with the committee passim the respective interrogation sessions successful which I represented her.”

He added, “It is not uncommon for clients to alteration lawyers due to the fact that their interests oregon strategies change. It is besides not uncommon for a 3rd party, including a governmental committee, to screen a client’s fees astatine the client’s request. External communications made connected Ms. Hutchinson’s behalf portion I was her counsel were made with her explicit authorization. Unfortunately, the committee ne'er reached retired to maine to get the facts.”

Ms. Hutchinson and her lawyer, Jody Hunt, did not respond to requests for comment.

The contented is the latest struggle implicit however the committee has utilized Ms. Hutchinson’s explosive grounds astir Mr. Trump’s actions and demeanor connected Jan. 6, 2021.

The sheet appeared to adhd a caveat Monday to 1 constituent of her grounds — that Pat A. Cipollone, Mr. Trump’s White House counsel, had told her that White House unit members would beryllium criminally charged if Mr. Trump went to the Capitol connected Jan. 6.

People acquainted with the substance person said Mr. Cipollone was not astatine the White House for astir of that greeting and did not callback having specified a speech with Ms. Hutchinson, a information that the committee appeared to instrumentality into relationship successful a footnote successful the enforcement summary of the report.

“While Cipollone did not specifically callback talking with Cassidy Hutchinson astir this topic, helium informed the prime committee that helium was definite that helium did explicit his presumption to immoderate people,” the footnote stated. “Hutchinson believes it was Pat Cipollone, but besides testified that it whitethorn person been a antithetic lawyer.”

Other issues that were not afloat resolved by the committee’s study included discrepancies successful accounts of what had happened wrong Mr. Trump’s conveyance arsenic helium near a rally connected the Ellipse connected Jan. 6.

Ms. Hutchinson testified that she had been told by different Trump aide, Anthony M. Ornato, a lawman White House main of unit and Secret Service agent, that Mr. Trump had lunged astatine the operator of his S.U.V. aft his code astatine the rally astatine the Ellipse connected Jan. 6 erstwhile helium was told helium couldn’t articulation his supporters astatine the Capitol.

The Secret Service has denied that specified an incidental occurred. And the committee did not look to find anyone other straight confirming that Mr. Trump had tried to physically onslaught his driver. Nonetheless, the committee amassed different grounds and grounds suggesting radical described Mr. Trump arsenic “irate,” “furious,” “insistent,” “profane” and “heated.”

The committee besides did not afloat explicate a agelong hold successful sending the National Guard to assistance overwhelmed officers from the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. But the committee concluded that determination was nary nefarious crushed for the hourslong wait.

The study documented that an aboriginal telephone had travel from the bureau of Washington’s mayor, seeking assistance deploying the Guard soon earlier 2 p.m. But it took until aft 4 p.m. for the Guard to arrive.

The committee besides near unfastened the question of however the Secret Service had handled aboriginal warnings astir the imaginable for unit that day. The study documented respective instances of warnings the Secret Service received that the time of Jan. 6 “was apt to beryllium violent.” The warnings said the Capitol, specifically, “would apt beryllium the target.”

Those cautions included “intelligence straight regarding the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia groups,” the study found. Why much was not made of those warnings remains unclear.