January 6 hearings: Why Pat Cipollone’s testimony will be important

Pat Cipollone, a White House counsel in Donald Trump’s administration, was subpoenaed by the January 6 committee on Wednesday. He had reportedly warned the former President against his efforts to overturn the 2020 elections.

The House Select Committee recently received testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, also a former White House worker who said Trump was aware that the Capitol rioters were armed.

Also Read: After Engel, Ornato’s statements, Secret Service to speak to Jan. 6 panel

Cipollone, who once threatened to resign during Trump’s “rigged election” campaign, may have some additional information that may be used to investigate the Capitol riots, the January 6 committee said. 

The committee said he could have information about several efforts by Trump allies to subvert the Electoral College, from organizing so-called alternate electors in states Biden won to trying to appoint as attorney general a loyalist who pushed false theories of voter fraud, according to reports from Associated Press.

The January 6 committee recognised Cipollone’s cooperation in the investigation but requested “on the record” testimony.

Why is Pat Cipollone’s testimony important?

Cipollone was a part of Trump’s legal team at the White House, which also involved individuals like former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani. It is likely that Cipollone’s testimony can directly build up on the allegations made by Hutchinson.

Cipollone and Hutchinson shared similar concerns. Both former White House aides had warned the January 6 rally can have “serious legal concerns”.

Hutchinson testified that on the morning of January 6, Cipollone restated his concerns that if Trump did go to the Capitol to try to intervene in the certification of the election, “we are going to get charged with every crime imaginable.”

Also Read: Trump threw his lunch, and tantrums in the White House: Former aide Hutchinson

What has Cipollone told the January 6 committee so far?

Cipollone last spoke to the January 6 committee on April 13, 2022, and spoke about the role played by Jeffery Clark, a former official of the US Department of Justice who backed Trump’s rigged election claims.

Adam Kinzinger, a member of the January 6 committee, said that testified about his attempted intervention when heard that the former President was being advised by Clark. Federal agents recently seized Clark’s cell phone and conducted a search of his Virginia home.