The witness was reminded that Trump does read transcripts.Īnother message described by the committee involved a witness who was contacted by a person purporting to pass along a message from someone “who wants me to let you know he’s thinking about you. I’m protecting who I need to protect, you know, I’ll continue to stay in good graces in Trump World.” In one, a witness said they were told that “as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I’m on the right team. 6 committee would appear to involve nuance. If you testify, I’m going to kill you’ - there are a lot of nuances,” Weinstein said. “It’s a very difficult case because unless someone is explicit - i.e. The federal statute even says that defendants charged with witness tampering can raise as an affirmative defense that their sole intention was to encourage or induce a witness to testify truthfully. Witness tampering prosecutions are relatively rare and when pursued are hardly slam dunks, Weinstein said, with prosecutors and defense lawyers often diverging on the meaning and intent of particular language to a witness. “From a legal perspective, I’m advising my client, ‘Don’t make a call, don’t tell someone to make a call, don’t do anything where there’s any appearance where you’re trying to influence a witness,’” said Michael Weinstein, a former Justice Department prosecutor and criminal defense attorney in New Jersey. The Justice Department declined to comment on Cheney’s disclosure, and it was not clear whether prosecutors who are tracking the hearings might follow up on the outreach to witnesses.Įven so, such contact is problematic given how easy it is for prosecutors to read nefarious intent into it, and can be illegal in instances when someone instructs a witness in any official proceeding to lie, to not cooperate or to otherwise hinder an investigation. 6 footage shows Pelosi, leaders as crisis unfolded While the committee has focused largely on compiling a historical record of the attack and Trump’s role in it, Cheney’s assertions about the former president’s phone call added another layer to the inquiry. Though much remains uncertain about the call, including its purpose and the intended recipient, the way it was described Tuesday raised the prospect that Trump or someone close to him was hoping to shape witness testimony in the ongoing congressional hearings into the Jan. The committee in turn referred the matter to the Justice Department. The witness apparently recognized the caller ID, and did not answer the phone, instead contacting a lawyer, who then told the committee.
In her closing remarks, the co-chair of the House investigating committee said the panel had learned that former President Donald Trump had recently tried to contact a witness whom “you have not yet seen in these hearings.” Liz Cheney saved the most startling for last. 6 hearing, already standing out for its notable moments, Rep.
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