Jack Smith Says Jan. 6 Star Witness Hutchinson Relied on Secondhand Hearsay, Not Eyewitness Evidence
WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers that Cassidy Hutchinson’s Jan. 6 Committee testimony included largely “secondhand hearsay,” raising fresh questions about the credibility of some widely publicized claims about the Capitol riot. Smith’s comments came in a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 17, 2025.
Smith’s remarks put pressure on a witness once presented as a central figure in the House Select Committee’s investigation, and they escalate tension around how Jan. 6 evidence is interpreted and used in ongoing legal and political battles.
According to a transcript released by lawmakers, Smith said a number of Hutchinson’s claims were based on what she heard from others, not what she personally saw or experienced, and that such testimony “may or may not be admissible” in court.
That included the now-famous account of former President Donald Trump “trying to grab the steering wheel” of the presidential SUV on Jan. 6 after his rally at the Ellipse. Smith said his team interviewed the actual Secret Service officer in the vehicle, who provided a different version of events than Hutchinson recounted secondhand.
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“It was clear that Ms. Hutchinson was a second or even third-hand witness,” Smith told lawmakers, adding that her testimony was weaker than firsthand evidence.
This assessment complicates the legacy of the Jan. 6 Committee’s public hearings, where Hutchinson’s testimony captured national attention and shaped public understanding of the riot’s inside dynamics.
Smith did not rule out calling Hutchinson as a witness in future proceedings, but his deposition suggests prosecutors would face hurdles due to the nature of her testimony.
As debate continues over the legal and historical record of Jan. 6, lawmakers and legal analysts will now weigh how much stock to put in secondhand accounts versus directly corroborated evidence.
The next key developments may come as committee transcripts and deposition videos continue to be reviewed and potentially cited in additional inquiries.
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