Newly uncovered text messages between January 6 star witness Cassidy Hutchinson and Liz Cheney, former Vice Chair of the Select Committee, have sparked allegations of unethical behavior and potential witness tampering. The messages, obtained by the House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight, reveal that Cheney communicated directly with Hutchinson without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s legal representation, raising serious ethical concerns.
The revelations come as part of an ongoing investigation into the conduct of the January 6 Committee and its handling of key witnesses during the investigation into the Capitol riot. Barry Loudermilk, the chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee, disclosed these findings, shedding light on the previously undisclosed level of coordination between Cheney and Hutchinson, who delivered explosive testimony in June 2022.
According to the Oversight Committee, Cheney began communicating with Hutchinson in April 2022, months before Hutchinson’s high-profile testimony. What’s concerning is that Cheney communicated with Hutchinson directly and through an intermediary—former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin—without the knowledge of Hutchinson’s attorney at the time, Stefan Passantino. This communication is seen as highly unethical since Hutchinson was represented by legal counsel, and Cheney was a key figure in the Select Committee’s investigation.
In total, Hutchinson sat for six transcribed interviews with the Select Committee. Passantino represented her during the first three interviews, after which Hutchinson reportedly sought new representation. It was during this transitional period that Cheney’s involvement became more direct. The Subcommittee uncovered Signal messages between Hutchinson and Farah Griffin that suggest Cheney knew the legal and ethical boundaries surrounding witness communication but continued to engage with Hutchinson anyway.
A key piece of evidence is a text message from Farah Griffin to Hutchinson that reveals Cheney’s awareness of the ethical lines she was treading. Farah Griffin wrote that Cheney’s “one concern was so long as you have counsel, she can’t really ethically talk to you without him.” Despite this acknowledgment, Cheney continued communicating with Hutchinson, bypassing her attorney.
Hutchinson eventually reached out to Cheney directly after her third interview with the Select Committee, while she was still represented by Passantino. According to the Committee, Cheney and Hutchinson communicated for days without Passantino’s knowledge. This raises the question of whether Cheney’s actions were not only unethical but potentially unlawful, given that witness tampering—especially during a high-stakes investigation—is a serious offense.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House aide who had publicly broken with the Trump administration, played a pivotal role in facilitating the communication between Cheney and Hutchinson. Hutchinson reached out to Farah Griffin in April 2022, following her second transcribed interview, stating she had more information to provide to the Select Committee. Farah Griffin invited Hutchinson to her Georgetown townhome to discuss the matter further.
It was during this meeting that Hutchinson revealed she had additional information about President Trump’s reaction to the rioters’ chant of “Hang Mike Pence.” Farah Griffin subsequently contacted Cheney on Hutchinson’s behalf, and arrangements were made for another interview. Hutchinson’s new testimony, which included the infamous allegation that Trump tried to commandeer the presidential limousine on January 6, would later become one of the most dramatic moments in the Committee’s hearings.
The newly obtained messages have raised questions about Cheney’s conduct and whether she may have crossed ethical lines in her role on the Select Committee. “Cheney had an ethical responsibility to only communicate with Hutchinson with her attorney present,” the Oversight Committee stated. However, Cheney’s direct communication with Hutchinson, as well as her alleged encouragement for Hutchinson to fire Passantino, indicates a disregard for these ethical boundaries.
The Committee also revealed that Cheney went as far as to help Hutchinson secure new legal representation, reportedly connecting her with attorneys from Alston & Bird, who represented Hutchinson pro bono after she severed ties with Passantino.
One of the most explosive allegations emerging from this controversy is the suggestion that Cheney may have coached Hutchinson ahead of her testimony. Hutchinson’s testimony, which claimed Trump lunged for the steering wheel of his limousine in a fit of rage, was central to the Committee’s narrative about Trump’s behavior on January 6. The direct communication between Cheney and Hutchinson, without her attorney’s involvement, raises questions about whether Cheney improperly influenced Hutchinson’s testimony.
The Subcommittee on Oversight is continuing to investigate whether Cheney’s communications with Hutchinson violated any legal or ethical standards. Some have even raised the possibility of witness tampering or suborning perjury, though no formal charges have been made at this time.
As the investigation unfolds, these revelations cast a shadow over the integrity of the January 6 Committee’s proceedings and raise significant concerns about the fairness of its investigative process. Cheney, once hailed as a defender of democratic institutions, now faces scrutiny over her conduct behind the scenes.
