Everyone should admire Cassidy Hutchison’s bravery in coming forward to the January 6th committee, but there is something we need to do for her to reward her brave testimony–find guilty of witness tampering the people responsible for pressuring her into not revealing what she knew, no matter who they are. Particularly, we need to know more about a phone call that so rattled the January 6th committee that they felt forced to rush her public testimony; and what that had to do with Stefan Passantino, Miss Hutchinson original legal counsel, who has deep ties to Trump world. Miss Hutchison is brave, but it is wrong, and illegal, for her to face the kind of pressure she has.
If we can’t prove that Trump did something illegal on January 6th, there is a clear cut case of witness tampering. Like many other crimes of this nature across history, it may be hard to prove Trump committed the crime, but the cover up can be proved. This is just fine with me. In fact, I think it might be better. The most disturbing thing about Trump is not even his insurrection, but the consistent pattern throughout his candidacy and presidency of using pressure to keep people under his control. His ability to silence people is even more dangerous than his ties to extremist organizations. A stop has to be put to it.
Attorney General Garland absolutely must step in. The only thing that can counteract Trump’s pressure campaign is for the man who started the Big Lie to be branded the criminal he is. Without this a constitutional crisis is all but certain. Charging Trump with a crime is the best and only way to stop him, and the millions of Americans who support him, from relentlessly marching out of reality. It is the only way to prevent another January 6th. As the midterms approach, the Big Lie is everywhere. Trump’s supporters are preparing to disrupt the vote count in races all over the country–repeating over and over the mantra that the only way they can possibly lose is fraud. And they are prepared to use the lies of voter fraud to intimidate everyone from common citizens volunteering as poll workers to the judges on highest courts in the land.
Bringing down the Trump pressure campaign is essential to American democracy. Let us take this moment to shut down Trump’s illegal pressure campaign once and for all, hoping that if the American people make it clear they will not tolerate bullying at the top, it will send a message to his followers. If we act decisively in protecting Ms. Hutchison, we may find that Trump’s pressure campaign is a house of cards. If we push in the right places, it may all come crashing down. Maybe, if we are smart and determined Ms. Hutchison will be the first but not the last or only to come forward with what they really know about Trump, and we can bring down this man once and for all.
Progressive Without Apology 