In a tense behind-the-scenes struggle, a top aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly warned colleagues against subpoenaing Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump administration staffer, as part of a renewed Capitol insurrection investigation, fearing the move might expose sexually explicit text messages sent to her by lawmakers.
Johnson's office reportedly raised red flags last June during internal deliberations. "Sexual texts from members who were trying to engage in sexual favors" could surface, the aide cautioned in correspondence and interviews reviewed by The Washington Post.
Hutchinson's bombshell 2022 testimony catapulted her into the national spotlight. She claimed President Donald Trump wanted an armed mob to march to the Capitol and even expressed interest in joining them.
In light of this, Republican lawmakers like Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) considered issuing subpoenas to Hutchinson to unearth further details on key political figures, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), who helped orchestrate her testimony.
However, concerns of backlash allegedly escalated when Johnson's team warned that subpoenaing Hutchinson would not only risk the exposure of compromising texts but also give her another platform to repeat her story. "She could potentially reveal embarrassing information," said one email reviewed by The Washington Post.
The stakes grew higher this week when Johnson revived a GOP-led investigation into January 6, appointing Loudermilk to chair a new subcommittee tasked with scrutinizing the previous Democratic probe. Loudermilk has positioned himself as a staunch Trump defender, claiming, "I know President Trump is 100 percent behind it."
"Ms. Hutchinson has testified truthfully and stands behind every word despite the efforts of men in powerful positions to attack her," Hutchinson's lawyer, Bill Jordan, said in a statement per The Washington Post.
With the new subcommittee under Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the GOP is poised to ramp up its investigation into their political adversaries.
Cheney and other staffers received preemptive pardons from former President Biden to shield them from Trump-era retributions, but Hutchinson was not among them. This comes amid growing calls from Trump allies for investigations into Biden's use of preemptive pardons.
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