Ex-White House aide says she was 'disgusted' by Trump's attacks on Pence and his embrace of the Jan. 6 rioters: 'It felt personal'
- A former aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, testified before the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday.
- Her testimony revealed damning details about Trump's behavior the day of the Capitol siege.
Former White House aide to Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, said she was "frustrated, disappointed and it felt personal" that President Donald Trump attacked Vice President Mike Pence and embraced the Capitol rioters on January 6, 2021.
Hutchinson, 25, provided revealing testimony in a rushed hearing that was announced just 24 hours prior, giving insight into the events leading up to and on the day of January 6th. GOP Rep. Liz Cheney asked Hutchinson on Tuesday how she reacted to Trump's tweet at 2:24 pm on January 6, 2021, arguing that "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution" after he affirmed Congress' electoral college count.
"As a staffer that works to always represent the administration to the best of my ability and to showcase the good things that he had done for the country, I remember feeling frustrated, disappointed, and really, it felt personal, I was really sad," she testified when asked for her reaction to Trump's praise of the rioters. "As an American, I was disgusted. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie."
She added, "Seeing that tweet come up and knowing what was happening on the Hill ... I still struggle to work through the emotions of that."
The ex-aide to former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had exclusive access to those closest to Trump, including Meadows and former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, however Trump said in a statement on Tuesday that he "hardly knows" who Hutchinson is.
Several White House journalists, along with Sarah Matthews, a former Deputy White House Press Secretary, have tweeted that Hutchinson had extremely close ties with the president's team and anyone "downplaying" her testimony is scared of how "damning" it is. Many continue to defend Hutchinson on social media and stress the importance of her safety after her testimony.