Cassidy Hutchinson Says Trump-Paid Lawyer Talked To Haberman After 3rd Deposition — Told Her ‘Don’t Worry, Maggie’s Friendly To Us’
Former Trump staffer and bombshell Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson testified her Trump-paid lawyer Stefan Passantino took a call from New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman above her objections, reassuring her “Maggie’s friendly to us.”
On Thursday, the January 6 committee released two more transcripts of Hutchinson’s testimony, which was given September 14, 2022 and September 15, 2022.
Among the many jaw-dropping revelations was an intriguing media nugget. In her Sept. 14 deposition, Hutchinson described a scene in which she told her then-lawyer Passantino not to answer a call from Haberman, only to be ignored because Passantino believed Haberman to be a “friendly” reporter.
It was May 17, and the pair were on their way to get drinks following Hutchinson’s third deposition — that last one for which Passantino represented her:
So we’re going to the wharf and literally — I want to say maximum 2 minutes after we’re in the car, his phone starts to ring. I look over at his phone. We’re sitting, like, probably closer than Jody and I are sitting here, so maybe about a foot, foot and a half apart.
His phone is ringing. I look down at his phone. It’s Maggie Haberman calling him. And I looked at Stefan, and I said, “Stefan, did you tell Maggie Haberman that we were meeting with the committee today?”
And he’s like, “No, no. Maybe that’s not what she’s calling me about.”
And I said, “Stefan, did you tell Maggie that we were meeting with the committee today?”
And he said, “No, no, but I should probably answer to see if she knows, right? I should answer.”
And I said, “Stefan, no. I don’t think you should answer that call. She probably wants to know if we met with the committee today.”
He said, “Cass, I’m just going to answer. It will just be 2 seconds. I just want to find out what she’s going to talk to me about.”
He answers. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but I hear Stefan say, “Yeah, yeah, we did just leave her third interview. You can put it out, but don’t — don’t — don’t — don’t make it too big of a deal. I don’t think she’ll want it to be too big of a deal. All right. Thanks.”
And I said, “Stefan, was that Maggie Haberman asking about my interview?”
And he said, “Yeah, but don’t worry. She’s not going to make it a big deal.”
I said, “Stefan, I don’t want this out there.”
He said, “Don’t worry. Like, Maggie’s friendly to us. We’ll be fine.”
So I was just like, “Whatever.”
Indeed, Haberman tweeted about the deposition, writing “Former MEADOWS aide Cassidy Hutchinson went back to the J6 committee under subpoena for a second interview today, per people briefed,” then corrected herself to note it was the third appearance.
Passantino’s assessment didn’t age well, given the tons of scoops Haberman has broken since then, but it’s a fascinating glimpse into how a reporter like Haberman cultivates sources.
