The two Republican members of the Jan. 6 Select Committee, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), on Sunday said that new witnesses have come forward wanting to testify before the panel after explosive testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, last week.
In her testimony, Hutchinson offered a firsthand account of then-President Trump and his allies’ behavior in the days leading up to and on Jan. 6. Among the stunning revelations during Hutchinson’s testimony, the ex-Meadows aide testified about how Meadows and others in Trump’s circle anticipated violence prior to Jan. 6 and the ways in which Trump encouraged it privately. Additionally, Hutchinson recalled Trump demanding the Secret Service get rid of metal detectors at the pre-insurrection rally on the Ellipse so that his armed supporters could move closer to the stage, making the crowd appear larger.
On CNN, Kinzinger said that new witnesses have expressed their desire to testify before the panel since Hutchinson’s testimony aired.
After declining to go into details about the new witnesses, Kinzinger praised Hutchinson for “inspiring” more people to come forward.
“Every day, we get new people that come forward and say, hey, I didn’t think maybe this piece of the story that I knew was important, but now that you guys are talking — like, I do see this plays in here,” Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger added that the committee is set to hear from witnesses they did not expect to hear from.
Cheney made similar comments during an interview that aired on ABC News on Sunday as she defended Hutchinson for coming forward with her testimony. Hutchinson has faced backlash from right-wingers, who have accused her of lying, in the aftermath of her damning testimony.
“The committee is not going to stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men who are claiming executive privilege,” Cheney said. “And so we look forward very much to additional testimony under oath on a whole range of issues.”
Cheney went on to say that the committee has “significant evidence” about a range of issues that includes Trump’s “intense anger” when he faced resistance from his inner circle in response to his demand that he go to the Capitol after the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, which Hutchinson addressed during her testimony.
Cheney said the public can expect to see additional detail about Trump’s activities and behavior on Jan. 6.
Upon the conclusion of Hutchinson’s testimony last week, committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) implored reluctant witnesses to come forward and cooperate with the panel’s investigation.
“If you heard this testimony today and suddenly you remember things you couldn’t previously recall, or you discover some courage you had hidden away somewhere, our doors remain open,” Thompson said after Hutchinson finished testifying before the panel.
