Donald Trump, the former US president, allegedly contacted a witness who is supposed to testify in front of the January 6 committee, according to Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the committee. While the witness has not been identified by the panel, Cheney said that the US Department of Justice has been alerted about the phone call. 

This is not the first time “witness tampering” has been brought up in the Capitol riots hearing. The committee has previously said that people in Trump’s orbit have contacted witnesses in ways that could reflect or at least create the appearance of inappropriate influence, Associated Press reported.

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Allegations of witness tampering against Donald Trump have come up at a time when Sarah Matthews, the former Deputy Press Secretary of the White House, is expected to testify before the Jan 6 committee. 

The witness in waiting

Sarah Matthews was a member of Trump’s inner circle. Her office was reportedly just a few steps away from the Oval Office, the January 6 committee said in a previous hearing.

In addition to being the next possible witness, according to reports from CNN, Sarah Matthews has also previously cooperated with the January 6 committee. The House Select Committee has not yet confirmed if Matthews will be the next witness.

Matthews has spoken out in favour of her former colleague Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the committee last month. “Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump WH worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is”, Matthews said.

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The former White House aide resigned from her position shortly after violence broke out at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

What do we know about the phone call from Trump?

Liz Cheney said that the future witness had not taken the call from the former President. She did not identify the witness but said it was someone the public has not yet heard from. The phone call has been flagged to the Justice Department.