Cassidy Hutchinson was Liz Cheney's entire case against Donald Trump.
Now a federal judge has confirmed she was coached to lie before she ever took the stand.
What Hutchinson admitted in her own deposition should end the J6 narrative permanently.
The Cassidy Hutchinson Perjury Evidence a Federal Court Just Confirmed
A federal court in Washington dismissed a defamation lawsuit – and in doing so, validated everything conservatives suspected about Liz Cheney's star witness.
Stefan Passantino, Hutchinson's former attorney, sued MSNBC analyst Andrew Weissmann for claiming he coached her to lie to the January 6 Committee.
Judge Loren Alikhan threw the lawsuit out.
Not because Weissmann's claim was hard to evaluate – but because the court found the transcript itself supported it.
The judge ruled that Hutchinson's deposition statements showed Passantino "repeatedly prompted" her to lie – a finding that the transcript supported Weissmann's accusation, not contradicted it.
Before her fifth deposition, Passantino laid out the strategy in plain terms: "We're going to downplay your role" and "the less you remember, the better."
He instructed her to use "I don't recall" as a go-to answer – even when she actually did recall.
Hutchinson asked him whether she could still claim she didn't remember something she knew perfectly well.
He told her yes.
When Hutchinson realized what she had done in that deposition, she told her lawyer: "I'm f***ed. I just lied."
Passantino's response: "You didn't lie."
He told her the committee didn't know what she actually remembered – so "I don't recall" was entirely acceptable.
"You're doing exactly what you should be doing," he added.
That is the sworn record – the deposition transcript a federal judge just ruled supports the conclusion that Hutchinson was coached to commit perjury before Congress.
How Liz Cheney Used the January 6 Committee to Build a Case on Coached Testimony
Republicans have been saying this for years.
Hutchinson's most explosive claim – that Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent and tried to grab the steering wheel to force his motorcade toward the Capitol – was always hearsay she heard from a colleague, not something she witnessed.
Multiple witnesses were prepared to testify under oath that it never happened.
Special counsel Jack Smith told Congress earlier this year that his team couldn't substantiate the claim and that Hutchinson's account was secondhand.
"My recollection of her testimony about that was that it was secondhand," Smith told the House Judiciary Committee.
That means the single most dramatic moment from Cheney's carefully staged hearings was built on a story Hutchinson got from a colleague.
A House subcommittee found that Cheney secretly communicated with Hutchinson while she was still represented by Passantino – without his knowledge and in likely violation of federal law.
Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk referred Hutchinson to the Justice Department for a perjury investigation in March.
The DOJ opened a probe in April.
Liz Cheney Now Faces Witness Tampering Questions While DOJ Investigates Hutchinson
Democrats and their media allies treated Cassidy Hutchinson like a national hero.
They gave her prime-time coverage, softball interviews, and a book deal.
Liz Cheney built her entire post-Congress brand – the never-Trump lectures, the media circuit, the speaking fees – on this testimony.
Here's what makes this richer than a simple reversal of fortune.
During those same hearings, Cheney warned the country on camera that anyone who tried to influence witness testimony would face consequences.
She referred the matter to the Justice Department herself.
Now a House subcommittee has accused her of doing exactly that – secretly coaching Hutchinson while publicly threatening everyone else who touched a witness.
The federal statute she may have violated carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
And Liz Cheney – who secretly coordinated with Hutchinson behind her lawyer's back – faces her own potential exposure for witness tampering under federal law.
This wasn't a congressional investigation.
It was a political operation built on coached testimony, secret back-channel communications, and a media that never asked a single hard question.
Every American who watched those hearings and trusted what they saw deserves to know what a federal judge just confirmed.
Sources:
- Derek VanBuskirk, "Defamation Case Ruling Supports Claim That Dems' Star J6 Witness Lied Under Oath," Daily Caller, September 21, 2026.
- Cristina Laila, "Biden Judge Tosses Former Trump White House Lawyer's Defamation Lawsuit Against Andrew Weissmann," Gateway Pundit, September 2026.
- "Liz Cheney Facing GOP Calls for FBI Investigation Over Alleged Witness Tampering in Jan. 6 Investigation," Fox News, December 17, 2024.
- "GOP Lawmakers Push DOJ for Charges Against Jan. 6 Star Witness Cassidy Hutchinson," Washington Examiner, March 2026.
