Trump’s former ethics lawyer told witness to “not recall the
details of the testimony she presented to the January 6 committee.” Now he
faces federal charges for that crime – and yes, witness tampering is a Federal
offense – details here
from Salon.com with this headline (formatted to fit the blog):
“Ex-Trump ethics lawyer advised Cassidy Hutchinson to mislead
committee. Now he could be prosecuted”
A Trump-allied attorney
who previously represented a key January 6 witness urged her to mislead the
January 6 committee about details she recalled, report according to CNN.
The committee did not
identify the witness or the person they claimed tried to influence the
testimony, but CNN reported that Stefan Passantino, top ethics
attorney in the White House who represented former aide Cassidy Hutchinson, was
that lawyer.
Passantino advised
Hutchinson, aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, to tell the
committee that she did not recall details that she did, sources told CNN.
The committee suggested that people connected to the former
president had attempted to influence at least one witness' testimony, promising
her jobs that never materialized and coaching her to make statements in an
attempt to deceive the committee.
Noteworthy: The committee discovered that Ms. Hutchinson was made an offer tomake her “financially very comfortable.” (Sounds like a bribe to me - how about you)?
Passantino and his law firm Elections LLC were funded by
Trump's “Save America” PAC. That PAC also paid for the lawyer's representation
of Hutchinson, which Passantino did not mention to his client, sources told
CNN.
Over the summer, Hutchinson emerged as a key witness for the
committee, providing bombshell testimony into Trump's knowledge of the
potential for violence on January 6, and his outbursts of anger.
Note: She dropped Passantino and got a new lawyer before she
testified.
Passantino told CNN: “I represented Ms. Hutchinson
honorably, ethically, and fully consistent with her sole interests as she
communicated them to me. I believed Ms. Hutchinson was being truthful and
cooperative with the Committee throughout the several interview sessions in
which I represented her.” He added: “It's not uncommon for people to change
lawyers due to their interests or strategies shifting, and that PAC’s sometimes
cover client fees “at the client's request.”
Passantino’s professional biography was removed from the law
firm's website where he was a partner. He also said he was taking a leave of
absence from his firm “given the distraction of this matter.”
In hearings over the summer, the January 6 committee said it
was concerned about potential witness tampering and said the DOJ is aware of at
least one of those circumstances.
The committee's latest report reveals that a lawyer had
advised a client, believed to be Hutchinson, to pretend that she could not
recall certain facts and said: “The lawyer had advised the witness that the
witness could, in certain circumstances, tell the Committee that she did not
recall facts when she actually did recall them.”
When the witness expressed concerns to her lawyer about an
aspect of her testimony not being truthful, the lawyer did not advise her to clarify
the specific testimony and instead, the lawyer said: “They don't know what you
know, [witness]. They don't know that you can recall some of these things. So
you saying “I don't recall” is an entirely acceptable response to this.”
Passantino also told her to avoid discussing facts that portrayed Trump in a negative light, instructing the client about a particular issue that would cast a bad light on President Trump saying: “No, no, no, no, no.” We don't want to go there. We don't want to talk about that,” the Committee report also said.
Committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA) said: “The witness believed this was an effort to affect her testimony, and we are concerned that these efforts may have been a strategy to prevent the Committee from finding the truth.”
Legal expert Elliot Williams told CNN: “That Passantino's actions are bordering on a federal offense,” adding: “If you are urging someone to say they don't recall a fact that they, in fact, recall, you're telling them to lie under oath. So he could be prosecuted under that.”
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said: “Passantino
could be in serious trouble.”
My 2 Cents: Startling report but for Trump and his character, not
one bit surprising – not at all.
I say as clearly as
possible as the MAGA chant shouts “Lock ‘em all up. From Trump on down the line”
at least several dozen close to him: “Lock ‘em all up.”
And, for President Bide:
Please consider awarding the Freedom Medal to Cassidy Hutchinson – she deserves
it.
Thanks for stopping by.
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