Jen Psaki Asks Cassidy Hutchinson If Un-Gagged Trump is Danger To Witnesses
MSNBC host Jen Psaki asked Cassidy Hutchinson if currently un-gagged former President Donald Trump is a danger to the safety of witnesses and others.
The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily lifted the gag order imposed by Judge Tanya Chutkan several weeks ago, pending a November 20 hearing on the issue. Following that hearing on Monday, the court weighed whether to restore and/or narrow that order.
On Monday’s edition of MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, Psaki asked Hutchinson — a former Trump White House aide-turned-bombshell witness and anti-Trump author — if she’s “nervous for the safety” of witnesses who face Trump’s attacks:
PSAKI: You talked about this a lot in your book. Do you think he recognizes the impact of his words?
HUTCHINSON: Thank you for having me, Jen.
And, yes, I absolutely — I believe that he knows the impact of his words, and I believe that because I have heard him say it.
And I think, when…
(CROSSTALK)
PSAKI: You have heard him say, I know people listen to me?
HUTCHINSON: Yes, absolutely.
And I think that that’s evident too from just how he’s been able to get away with how often he has tweeted and the rhetoric of his tweets. Donald Trump knows the impact his words have. He knew, when he put out the tweet on December 19, 2020, when he summoned the mob to come to Washington, D.C., that he was going to expect a crowd.
That’s why he continued pushing and pushing and pushing that rhetoric and pushing those invitations to all of his supporters that ended up coming to Washington, D.C., on January 6.
So, when Donald Trump says something, I think that we as a nation do a big disservice to our own constituents and our neighbors when we don’t take what he says at face value.
PSAKI: That’s so important for people to remember.
You talk in your book — you write about the impact of Trump’s words. I mean, this is something you kind of explore, including how Trump’s tweet about his vice president on January 6 promoted chance of “Hang Mike Pence,” something that is haunting every time I hear it.
You also write that, according to Mark Meadows, Trump said he deserves it. That’s really scary. It’s still scary to hear. Are you nervous? I mean, you know a number of the people, former colleagues who are going to be witnesses. Are you nervous about their safety when you hear Trump’s words and you see what he’s doing out there publicly?
HUTCHINSON: Yes, I am.
And I know from my experience too,the American people should not ever have to live in fear of retribution from a president of the United States or a former president of the United States. A president is here and is elected to protect the people, not to incite violence on those people.
I think about myself, but, more importantly too, I think about men like Rusty Bowers, who was cornered at his home. I think about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
(CROSSTALK)
HUTCHINSON: I think about members of Congress on the January 6 Committee, who needed security details, or, even up until a few weeks ago, during the speaker’s race, how there were members who weren’t voting for Jim Jordan who had violence unleashed on them — and they are Republicans — just because they were not planning to vote for the individual that Trump had personally endorsed.
This violence is — has become unfortunately somewhat normalized in our society. And I know that I don’t want to raise my children or have to explain to my grandchildren why we let America get to this point.
PSAKI: It’s such an important moment to think about where you are in history.
Watch above via MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki.
