January 6 Committee star witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s credibility took another hit on Tuesday when former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann disputed her testimony about a handwritten statement she allegedly crafted during the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
During her increasingly scrutinized testimony on Tuesday, Hutchinson claimed she wrote out a statement for the former president to release during the January 6 riot that was dictated by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. When committee member Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) displayed a handwritten note, Hutchinson testified it was her handwriting.
“That’s a note that I wrote at the direction of the chief of staff on Jan. 6, likely around 3 o’clock,” said Hutchinson
“And it’s written on the chief of staff note card, but that’s your handwriting, Ms. Hutchinson?” Cheney asked.
“That’s my handwriting,” Hutchinson replied.
According to former Trump attorney Eric Herschmann, he wrote the note and the handwriting belonged to him.
“The handwritten note that Cassidy Hutchinson testified was written by her was in fact written by Eric Herschmann on January 6, 2021,” a spokesperson for Herschmann told ABC News Tuesday evening.
“All sources with direct knowledge and law enforcement have and will confirm that it was written by Mr. Herschmann,” the spokesperson said.
Sources with ABC News also confirmed that “Herschmann had previously told the committee that he had penned the note.”
Cheney displayed a note today that Cassidy Hutchinson claimed to have written, except White House lawyer Eric Herschmann had already told the committee that he wrote the note in question. pic.twitter.com/77Av0sLaRe
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 29, 2022
A spokesperson for the January 6 Committee said they found Hutchinson’s statement and testimony “credible,” chalking the contradiction down to a minor dispute.
“The committee has done its diligence on this and found Ms. Hutchinson’s account of this matter credible. While we understand that she and Mr. Herschmann may have differing recollections of who wrote the note, what’s ultimately important is that both White House officials believed that the President should have immediately instructed his supporters to leave the Capitol building,” the spokesperson said.
“The note memorialized this,” they added. “But Mr. Trump did not take that action at the time.”
The January 6 Committee’s credibility suffered a serious blow Tuesday when reports surfaced that the lead Secret Service agent in charge of former President Trump’s security detail that day would also contradict Hutchinson’s testimony.
Also on Tuesday, Hutchinson testified that former President Trump literally tried to commandeer the presidential suburban during the January 6 riot and became borderline violent when agent Bobby Engel tried to stop him. Hutchinson said she learned of the story from Tony Ornato, the then-White House deputy chief of staff. Hours later, Peter Alexander of NBC News said that a source close to the Secret Service indicated that agent Bobby Engel will testify “under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.”
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