5 takeaways from the big Jan. 6 hearing

Plus: Key moments and next steps

View this email online June 29, 2022 This is a special newsletter recapping the unexpected Jan. 6 committee hearing yesterday with witness Cassidy Hutchinson. Read on for NPR senior political editor/correspondent Domenico Montanaro's takeaways. The Big Picture: Armed, dangerous and welcomed Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The surprise testimony of a former White House aide Tuesday before the Jan. 6 committee was dramatic with detailed accounts of a volatile and explosive president. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified under oath that her boss and the former president were aware of the potential for violence on Jan. 6 and didn’t seem to care much and that Trump was aware that people in the crowd at his Jan. 6 speech had weapons, but he didn’t want them screened, didn’t feel threatened and wanted them to march to the Capitol. Here are five takeaways from the hearing: 1. The most vivid depictions of Trump’s temper during his presidency: From throwing dishes at the wall (splattering ketchup on it) because he was upset his attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the election to grabbing the steering wheel of a presidential vehicle and putting his hands on a Secret Service agent because he badly wanted to go to the Capitol with his crowd of rioting supporters. Wow. 2. The committee is methodically trying to establish intent and premeditation: What did Trump know and when did he know it? Tuesday’s testimony, for the first time, answered some of those questions. 3. White House lawyer was worried about legal exposure for Trump and the White House: Inciting a riot, obstruction of Congress, defrauding the United States. All of it was a concern for then-White House counsel Pat Cipollone. So what now? Does the Justice Department pursue any charges? 4. Add Meadows and Rudy Giuliani to the list of those who sought pardons: Two more close Trump allies. What did they think made them think they were at risk of prosecution? 5. Republicans largely have their fingers in their ears about these hearings: There’s been a lot of primary source, fact-based information from mostly Republican sources at every hearing so far. Democrats are paying close attention to the hearings but Republicans aren’t, according to a recent survey. It's hard to hear a tree fall in a forest when you're thousands of miles away. The question for all of this now is whether Hutchinson‘s testimony is the tip of the iceberg as Trump defenders try to undermine it. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Read More Newsletter continues after sponsor message Andrew Harnik/AP Hutchinson’s was a firsthand account: Given the urgency of how the hearing was announced and the major pieces of information Hutchinson had already shared with the Democrat-led committee for its nearly 11-month investigation, expectations were set that her testimony, presented in person and in recordings from her four committee interviews, would be significant. As a close aide to a key Trump ally, she was able to give a play-by-play of West Wing conversations leading up to Jan. 6. The panel eyes next steps: Toward the end of the hearing, Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., warned of potential witness tampering and said the committee is considering its next steps. She gave examples of witnesses describing pressure they felt -- to stay "in good graces in Trump World," she quoted one as saying -- before testifying. Another witness, Cheney said, told the panel that "they have reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts." Read every word from the sixth hearing. Homing in on a key moment from the hearing: One of the revelations from Tuesday’s hearing focused on Trump’s awareness that some in the rally crowd on Jan. 6 were armed. Hutchinson testified that Trump knew about the weapons when he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and he wanted to have magnetometers removed from rally checkpoints so his supporters could be allowed in to hear his speech. “They're not here to hurt me. Take the effing [magnetometers] away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here.” Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, describes this testimony as the “clearest link” between Trump and the use of force and violence at the Capitol.   Jan. 6 panel member weighs in on Tuesday’s hearing: Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the nine members of the Democrat-led panel, tells Morning Edition he hopes to hear from Cipollone. On the morning of the insurrection, Hutchinson testified, Cipollone warned against Trump and aides going to the House chamber on Jan. 6 or joining the rioters in their march to the Capitol. She testified that he told her something like “We're going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.” Previously, panel vice chair Liz Cheney implored the former White House lawyer to appear. Election denial is a losing message in Colorado: The centrist side of Colorado's GOP easily won all three statewide primaries on Tuesday night, sweeping away right-wing candidates. One of those winners was U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea, who ran while saying repeatedly that the 2020 elections were legitimate. Voters also rejected a bid from Tina Peters for secretary of state. The Mesa County Clerk is facing criminal charges for allegedly tampering with her own county's election systems as she searched for evidence for bogus fraud theories. — Heidi Glenn, NPR Politics digital editor Become a NPR Politics+ Subscriber Hey y'all. Want to show your support for our podcast and even listen to sponsor-free episodes? Try subscribing to The NPR Politics Podcast+ and get your political insights, news and analysis without the distraction. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics or at the link below. Subscribe Today Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from St. Louis Public Radio (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprpolitics@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? 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