Getty Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies on June 28.
Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony in the Jan. 6 hearings prompted a fiery response from former President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social. He claimed he hardly knew Hutchinson and characterized her damning account as revenge for denying her request to join his staff at Mar-a-Lago.
Hutchinson, a 26-year-old former aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, was called in as a witness for the House select committee during an unscheduled hearing today, June 28, 2022. She testified she was warned days ahead of the Capitol insurrection by Meadows that “things might get real, real bad” on Jan. 6.
Here’s what you need to know:
Trump Claimed Hutchinson’s Testimony Was an Act of Revenge for Denying Her Request to Join His Staff After He Lost the Presidency
Cassidy Hutchinson just said it ALL…
Trump, who has been banned from Twitter, took to his social media platform Truth Social to react to Hutchinson’s testimony in real time. He claimed he “hardly know[s]” her and claimed he personally rejected a request she made to join his team at Mar-a-Lago.
“When she requested to go with certain others of my team to Florida after my having served a full term in office, I personally turned her request down,” he wrote.
He claimed Hutchinson was she was “very upset and angry that I didn’t want her.” He further described her as “bad news.”
Former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews wrote in a tweet, “Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump [White House] worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is.”
Another White House aide told CNN that whether or not Trump remembered Hutchinson’s name, he definitely would have recognized her.
“Everyone high up at the White House knew her,” the aide told CNN. “And even if Trump didn’t know her name, he most certainly recognized her. She traveled on Air Force One with Mark for every trip.”
Hutchinson Was an Intern at the Trump White House & She Recently Switched Attorneys
Wow! On January 2 Rudy told Cassidy Hutchinson Trump and team were going to the Capitol on the 6th. Cassidy asked her boss about it and he said “There’s a lot going on Cass. Things might get real real bad.”
She said today, “That was the first moment I remember feeling scared.”
Hutchinson was an intern at the White House under then-President Donald Trump and was a college senior in 2018 when she was interviewed by her student newspaper in an article titled, “A Captain in the ‘People’s House.’ Read more about Hutchinson here.
“The White House Internship Program is a hands-on opportunity designed to mentor and cultivate young leaders and prepare them for future public service,” the article said. “It is a highly coveted summer gig, with a rigorous screening process.”
“I was brought to tears when I received the email that I had been selected to participate,” she told the newspaper. “As a first-generation college student, being selected to serve as an intern alongside some of the most intelligent and driven students from across the nation – many of whom attend top universities – was an honor and a tremendous growing experience.”
Hutchinson’s LinkedIn page says she studied political science and American studies at Christopher Newport University. The school is a public university in Newport News, Virginia. Her page says she is based in the Washington, D.C. Baltimore area.
Don’t be surprised to hear about Georgia at today’s Jan 6 Select Committee hearing
Looking through excerpts of the committee’s deposition with Cassidy Hutchinson, they asked her about Mark Meadows post-election day travels to Georgia
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The Associated Press reported that Hutchinson recently changed attorneys, which could be indicative of her allegiance.
She told her student newspaper in 2018 that she was the first person in her family to attend college. She described herself as “a first-generation college student” in her interview.
The AP described the role of young people in the White House in its article on Hutchinson’s testimony, and about the access to information aides can achieve.
“The White House is fueled by young restless energy that works all days, hours, nights to keep the operation running,” Johanna Maska, the CEO of consulting firm Global Situation Room who served in the White House under former President Barack Obama, told the AP. “Though most assistants wouldn’t be in a decision-making role, they have eyes on sensitive information including schedules, notes, documents, private conversations.”