Mulvaney on Hutchinson: ‘I know her. I don’t think she’s lying’

Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney called virtual and in-person testimony from former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday “explosive stuff” and said “I know her. I don’t think she is lying.”

“My guess is that before this is over, we will be hearing testimony from Ornato, Engle, and Meadows. This is explosive stuff,” Mulvaney tweeted, referring to former deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato; Robert Engel, the special agent in charge for Secret Service on Jan. 6; and former chief of staff Mark Meadows.

“If Cassidy is making this up, they will need to say that. If she isn’t they will have to corroborate. I know her. I don’t think she is lying.”

Hutchinson testified Tuesday before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and revealed explosive new information.

She said former President Trump fought so badly to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after making his speech that he lunged at a Secret Service agent. She also discussed how Meadows worried ahead of Jan. 6 that things could go “real bad” that day and said Trump was frustrated that security measures were keeping some of his supporters with weapons from joining the crowd.

In taped testimony, she had previously offered insight on warnings Meadows had received about the possibility for violence on the day of the riot and information on some of the lawmakers who wanted pardons from the former president.

Trump took to his Truth Social during the hearing, seeking to cast doubt on Hutchinson’s testimony.

“I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and ‘leaker’),” he wrote in part.

Sarah Matthews, a former White House aide in the Trump administration, defended Hutchinson’s recounting of the events over Twitter. 

“Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump WH worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is,”  Matthews tweeted.

“For those complaining of ‘hearsay,’ I imagine the Jan. 6 committee would welcome any of those involved to deny these allegations under oath,” Matthews added in a follow-up tweet.