Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney claimed Tuesday that former President Donald Trump contacted a witness after a Jan. 6 Select Committee hearing.
Cheney, the vice chair of the Select Committee, said in her closing statement that Trump contacted an individual whose testimony has not yet been made public. Cheney suggested that the contact constituted trying to influence a witness, adding that the Select Committee passed along information about the call to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation — a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump’s call and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us, and this committee has supplied that information to the Department of Justice,” Cheney said.
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The DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for confirmation that it received a referral from the committee. (RELATED: Jan. 6 Committee Member Zoe Lofgren Wonders Why DOJ Hasn’t Subpoenaed Cassidy Hutchinson)
“We will take any effort to influence witness testimony very seriously,” Cheney added.
The Jan. 6 Select Committee has previously hosted testimony stating that its witnesses were contacted. One witness reportedly received a message before testifying in which they were assured that “he knows you’re loyal, and you’re going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition.” Several outlets later reported that former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified in-person before the committee on June 28, received that message.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.