As Testimony Ends, Cheney's Closing Called 'Stunning'

After Cassidy Hutchinson's explosive testimony in Tuesday's Jan. 6 hearing, Rep. Liz Cheney praised the former White House aide's courage—and warned that other witnesses may have been intimidated by allies of former President Donald Trump. Cheney said that in a practice "that raises significant concern," witnesses have been receiving messages like, "He wants me to let you know he’s thinking about you. He knows you're loyal," the New York Times reports. Cheney, one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 panel, said democracy is preserved by people "who know the fundamental difference between right and wrong."

Cheney said another witness told investigators, "What they said to me is, as long as I continue to be a team player, they know that I’m on the right team. I’m doing the right thing, I’m protecting who I need to protect." Mick Mulvaney, Trump's former acting White House chief of staff, described Cheney's closing remarks as "stunning," the Guardian reports. "They think they have evidence of witness tampering and obstruction of justice," he tweeted. "There is an old maxim: it's never the crime, it's always the coverup. Things went very badly for the former President today. My guess is that it will get worse from here."