Recent news has revealed that Mike Johnson’s office pushed Republicans not to subpoena Jan. 6 Committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson so that “sexually explicit” texts GOP lawmakers sent her would stay buried, according to a report released on Thursday.
You may remember that Hutchinson’s testimony before the Committee was quite shocking, especially since she highlighted Donald Trump’s actions that led up to the January 6 insurrection.
Now that Trump is back in the White House, Republicans are jonesing to seek retribution against those who probed Trump, his advisers, and his supporters about that terrible day, The Daily Beast reports. But thanks to the revelation of some sordid texts allegedly sent to Hutchinson, a sizable monkey wrench has been thrown into the mix.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) suggested issuing a subpoena to Hutchinson, a former aide within the Trump administration. He hoped to secure digital communications that could implicate Trump rivals like former Rep. Liz Cheney in wrongdoing. This is because we all know she didn’t do anything wrong. But this is how low Republicans like Loudermilk will go to brown-nose Trump.
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However, he was discouraged from doing this when he was told a subpoena like this would reveal “sexual texts from members who were trying to engage in sexual favors” with Hutchinson and other “embarrassing information,” The Washington Post reported.
But Loudermilk is persevering and pushing ahead with an investigation, even as Johnson has asked him to chair a new select subcommittee to place those who probed the insurrection under the microscope.
Before leaving office, Joe Biden issued Cheney a blanket pardon to prevent her from being prosecuted, but he did not do this for Hutchinson, a witness who was called to testify by Cheney. This,, in my opinion, was a mistake. Biden should have realized that some Republicans might go after the low-hanging fruit.
Thanks to Hutchinson’s testimony in 2022, we now know that Trump allegedly grabbed the wheel of a moving limousine to change its direction, lunged at a Secret Service agent, and even threw a plate of food against a wall on Jan. 6.
Since then, Hutchinson hasn’t precisely remained out of sight. In 2023, she published a book about how she ended up in the national spotlight after the Jan. 6 investigation. Her attorney, Bill Jordan, told the Post that Hutchinson voluntarily cooperated with the Committee and stood by all she shared.
“Ms. Hutchinson has testified truthfully and stands behind every word despite the efforts of men in powerful positions to attack her,” he said.
Jordan did not refer to the alleged sexual texts, and it isn’t clear which GOP lawmaker(s) purportedly sent them.
Is any of this surprising, considering the propensity Republicans have for doing such reprehensible things? Consider former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress and withdrew his name as Trump’s choice for Attorney General amid sexual conduct allegations. And Republicans have been in trouble for this plenty of times. This article from The Advocate details only a few of these scandals.
I hope more light is shed on this. Hutchinson should release the emails that targeted her because these Republicans need to be investigated. Suppose they are so hot to put honest people under the microscope for investigating an insurrection that nearly brought about the end of democracy. In that case, these people should be investigated as well.
Make no mistake, Republicans like Loudermilk and Johnson are merely trying to follow Trump’s whims. That’s all this is. They think they’ll get in good with Trump if they investigate people whom he believes have transgressed against him.
We’re living in scary times, folks.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
