Former Trump White House attorney Eric Herschmann is disputing another piece of Cassidy Hutchinson’s damning testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee.
Earlier on Tuesday, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander reported that Secret Service agents involved in an alleged incident with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, which Hutchinson recalled, are willing to testify under oath that the incident did not occur.
What did Hutchinson claim?
Hutchinson, an aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, told the committee on Tuesday that she transcribed a statement that was intended for Trump to release as rioters pillaged the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The note, written on Meadows’ letterhead, read, “Anyone who entered the Capitol without proper authority should leave immediately.”
Image source: YouTube screenshot
“That’s a note that I wrote at the direction of the chief of staff on Jan. 6, likely around 3 o’clock,” Hutchinson said at the hearing.
“And it’s written on the chief of staff note card, but that’s your handwriting, Ms. Hutchinson?” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) then asked.
“That’s my handwriting,” Hutchinson replied before explaining the circumstances surrounding the origins of the note, which she said was never made public.
What is Herschmann saying?
Herschmann released a statement on Tuesday claiming that he — not Hutchinson — wrote the note on the afternoon of Jan. 6.
“The handwritten note that Cassidy Hutchinson testified was written by her was in fact written by Eric Herschmann on January 6, 2021,” a spokesperson for Herschmann told ABC News.
“All sources with direct knowledge and law enforcement have and will confirm that it was written by Mr. Herschmann,” the spokesperson added.
In fact, ABC News explained that sources previously disclosed to the network that Herschmann told the Jan. 6 committee that he was the person who wrote it.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Hutchinson explained that Herschmann was involved in the writing process — suggesting the phrase “without legal authority” — but maintained that she wrote it.
How did the committee respond?
A spokesperson for the Jan. 6 committee said lawmakers find Hutchinson’s claims “credible.” The statement, however, failed to address the credibility of Herschmann’s claim or his testimony.
“The committee has done its diligence on this and found Ms. Hutchinson’s account of this matter credible,” the statement said. “While we understand that she and Mr. Herschmann may have differing recollections of who wrote the note, what’s ultimately important is that both White House officials believed that the President should have immediately instructed his supporters to leave the Capitol building.”
“The note memorialized this,” the statement continued. “But Mr. Trump did not take that action at the time.”
Cassidy Hutchinson testifies at sixth Jan. 6 hearing – 6/28 (FULL LIVE STREAM)
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