Cassidy Hutchinson says Liz Cheney’s ‘spine of steel’ inspired her to speak up

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, said Wednesday that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) inspired her to speak up about what she witnessed during the final days of the Trump administration. 

During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-host Willie Geist asked Hutchinson how strong of an ally the former Wyoming congresswoman was to her throughout the process of getting herself to testify before Congress. 

“Liz Cheney is the leader that we all need to aspire to be, and she is the leader that we need as a country to come together and find people to elect people like Liz Cheney,” Hutchinson told Geist. “Liz Cheney has a spine of steel, and she also cares deeply about this country.” 

Hutchinson added that seeing Cheney sit with several Democratic members in a committee shows “how dangerous of a moment that we are in as a country,” noting that she’s forever grateful for Cheney’s help. 

“I would like to think that without Liz Cheney, I still would have come to his moment, but I know that I came to this moment because of Liz Cheney,” Hutchinson added. “I am forever indebted to her for that and for helping … get me to where I am today.” 

Cheney, one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, was severed as co-chairwoman of the House select committee investigating the insurrection. Hutchinson, who was an aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified before the now-defunct select committee last year about the Capitol insurrection, being the first member of the Trump administration to do so.

Cheney’s stance against Trump resulted in her being ousted from her leadership position within the House Republican Conference in 2021 and led to her eventual loss to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman in her state’s primary race last year. 

Hutchinson’s remarks come a month after Trump, along with 18 of his allies, were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on charges tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign last November, has been hit with three other indictments this year relating to his business dealings, handling of classified documents, and his actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election. 

Hutchinson also released a new book, titled “Enough,” that details her experience working under the Trump administration and the events that led to her testifying before Congress.