(Washington) Pat Cipollone, Donald Trump’s former White House legal adviser, is scheduled to testify on Friday before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a source who has been informed about this.
Me Cipollone has been described as opposing Donald Trump’s plans to reverse his 2020 election defeat, making him a long-coveted witness.
He was subpoenaed by the special committee last week, after weeks of public pressure to testify.
The person briefed on the matter, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, said Mr. Cipollone had agreed to appear before the committee for a private, transcribed interview.
As President Trump’s White House counsel, Mr. Cipollone was in the West Wing on January 6, 2021, and participated in key meetings in the turbulent weeks following the election, when Mr. Trump and his associates – including Republican lawmakers and attorney Rudy Giuliani – debated and made plans to challenge the election results.
The announcement of the future appearance of Mr. Cipollone follows the shock testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson last week. The assistant to former chief of staff Mark Meadows provided the committee with a gripping account of what she has seen and heard over the past few weeks and presented lawmakers with what is arguably their best way to ensure that Mr. Trump or some of his allies face criminal consequences.
Mr. Cipollone reportedly warned the president and his allies vehemently and repeatedly against their efforts to challenge the election results, threatening to resign as Mr. Trump considered a major shakeup in the upper reaches of the Justice Department.
A witness said Mr Cipollone called a proposed letter making false allegations of voter fraud a “murder-suicide pact”. Another witness claimed that Mr. Cipollone warned her that Mr. Trump risked committing “every crime imaginable” if he visited the Capitol on January 6.
But while his interview with the committee could prove to be revealing, it is unclear whether Mr Cipollone will try to limit what he is willing to talk about. As the administration’s chief counsel, he could argue that some or all of his conversations with Mr. Trump are protected by solicitor-client privilege.
