More details emerge about Jan 6 witness at centre of Trump tampering allegations

Witness is in a position to confirm part of testimony made by Cassidy Hutchinson

A day after Liz Cheney dropped the bombshell revelation that Donald Trump had tried to contact one of the Jan 6 committee’s witnesses, more details have emerged about the person in question.

The witness who the former president allegedly contacted was a member of the White House staff. The name of the person, who has been cooperating with the committee investigating the capitol riot, has not been made public yet.

News of the potential witness tampering was first revealed by Jan 6 committee vice-chair Ms Cheney, who said Mr Trump tried to call one of the panel’s witnesses.

“After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation,” Ms Cheney said in the closing statement at the conclusion of the hearing.

“A witness you have not yet seen in these hearings,” she added. “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.”

She did not reveal further details about the person or the motive of the call. Trump has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.

Two sources told CNN that the person who was contacted is believed to be a “support staffer” who did not have routine communication with Mr Trump and was “concerned” about the alleged attempt at contact.

The witness was in a position to confirm part of the testimony made by former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to the committee, according to the sources.

CNN said it was told about the “position” of the witness contacted by Mr Trump but not the individual’s name.

Democrat representative from California Pete Aguilar, who serves on the committee, told the outlet that the person who was contacted was speaking with the panel and it was Mr Trump who “had called someone who has been talking with us”.

This is not the first time Ms Cheney, a Republican, raised the issue of Mr Trump potentially tampering with witnesses.

Previously, the Wyoming lawmaker said there had been a pattern of potential witness tampering that raised “significant concern” and read parts of depositions that suggested witness tampering.

Ms Cheney told the hearing that one witness had told the committee that allies of the former president had told them they would “continue to stay in good graces in Trump world” as long as “I’m protecting who I need to protect”.