During Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony earlier this week before the House Select Committee, Trump used his scam app, Social Truth, to complain that “She changed lawyers a couple of days ago, and with it, her story totally changed! SHOCKER???”
How would Trump have known that Hutchinson’s “story” changed? He might just be lying. Or, maybe her former lawyer has some ’splainin’ to do.
Hutchinson sat for the Select Committee four times (not counting her live testimony). During the first three interviews, she was represented by Stefan Passantino, a formerTrump White House lawyer now in private practice. According to the NY Times, Passantino was recommended to Hutchinson by Trump aides and his fees were being covered by Trump’s political action committee.
Recently, Hutchinson fired Passantino and hired Alabama lawyer Jody Hunt. Hunt is a long-time DOJ attorney; he was AG Jeff Session’s Chief of Staff, served in the Office of Legal Policy, and was Trump’s pick to head DOJ’s Civil Division. Hunt is a conservative Republican, but he is not a whacko (for example, he represented the State of Georgia against Texas’s frivolous effort to overturn Georgia’s election results). Hutchinson was represented by Hunt for her fourth Committee interview and live testimony.
The Committee did not release transcripts of Hutchinson’s interviews. So, how did Trump know what “story” she changed? It is unlikely that the Committee leaked her testimony. Would Hutchinson have disclosed her testimony to Trumpworld? It’s possible.
But, let’s circle back to the facts that Passantino was recommended to Hutchinson by Trumpworld and that he was paid by Trump’s PAC. The reason such arrangements are considered problematic is because there is a risk that the lawyer’s loyalty to his or her client could be compromised—in this case, perhaps both for ideological and pecuniary reasons.
So, unless Hutchinson disclosed her closed-door testimony herself, it would seem that Passantino is a conduit to Trump.