Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, noted in an interview Monday her concern about the safety of witnesses if former President Trump’s silence order is lifted.
A star witness during the explosive Jan. 6 hearings, Hutchinson appeared on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” to discuss her new book. She highlighted a section in which Meadows told her that in response to chants of “Hang Mike Pence,” Trump said the former vice president “deserved it.”
“It’s really scary. That’s always scary to hear,” Psaki told Hutchinson. “You know a number of people, former colleagues, who are going to be witnesses. Are you nervous about their safety when you hear Trump’s words and see what he does publicly?
“Yes, I am,” Hutchinson said.
“And I also know it from my experience. The American people should never have to live in fear of retaliation from a president of the United States, or a former president of the United States,” Hutchinson said. “A president is here and is elected to protect the people, not to incite violence against them. »
She then listed people who have publicly discussed how their lives have been ruined by efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn President Biden’s 2020 victory, including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives State of Arizona and two election workers from Georgia.
“I think of the members of Congress who were on the January 6 commission, who needed security details, or, even up until a few weeks ago, during the presidential race, how some members who didn’t “They weren’t voting for Jim Jordan unleashed violence on them — and they’re Republicans — simply because they didn’t intend to vote for the person Trump personally supported,” Hutchinson said.
Trump faces silence orders in several cases after attacking people affiliated with the case — including judges and court staff — in social media posts.
In his federal election subversion case, Trump’s legal team is challenging the hush order, and a three-judge panel heard arguments Monday in favor of overturning it.
Although they appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s claims that political speech would be protected, the justices indicated they might be willing to narrow the scope of the order.
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