Former special counsel Jack Smith told the House Judiciary Committee that Cassidy Hutchinson, a central witness for the Democrat-led Jan. 6 select committee, relied on secondhand accounts and would not have been a strong or reliable witness in the election interference case brought against President Trump.
In a closed-door deposition on Dec. 17, Smith said Hutchinson lacked firsthand knowledge on key claims she presented during the committee’s televised hearings in June 2022, making her testimony less persuasive and potentially inadmissible.
Smith specifically addressed Hutchinson’s claim that President Trump lunged for the steering wheel of his Secret Service SUV on Jan. 6, 2021, an allegation she acknowledged was relayed to her by then–White House official Anthony Ornato. Ornato, the vehicle’s driver, and a Secret Service agent all denied the account, with the driver stating Trump “never grabbed the steering wheel” and did not attempt to move to the front seat. The select committee failed to release the driver’s full testimony.
Smith said his team interviewed the individuals Hutchinson cited, including the officers present in the vehicle, and found conflicting versions of events. He testified that while one officer recalled Trump being angry and wanting to go to the Capitol, that account differed from what Hutchinson said she heard from others.
Smith also addressed Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump wanted armed supporters to bypass magnetometers at the Ellipse rally, saying investigators encountered differing recollections from multiple witnesses, including Hutchinson, Ornato, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
