Former White House attorney Stefan Passantino sued corrupt prosecutor Andrew Weissmann for defamation over a tweet alleging that Passantino “coached” witness Cassidy Hutchinson to lie under oath on January 6.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in DC. Passantino is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.
Recall that Cassidy Hutchinson falsely testified that Trump attacked a Secret Service agent on January 6.
Cassidy Hutchinson said Trump got into “the beast” after his speech at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, believing he would be driven to the Capitol.
According to Hutchinson, who received this information from Tony Ornato, the deputy director of the Secret Service, Trump became angry after being told he was being pushed back to the West Wing.
According to Ornato, Trump shouted, “I’m the damn president! Take me to the Capitol now!’
Hutchinson claimed that at this point Trump reached for the driver, grabbed the steering wheel and attempted to commandeer the presidential limousine.
Cassidy Hutchinson testified that prior to her Jan. 6 testimony before the committee, her attorney, Passantino, told her, “The less you remember, the better.”
However, Hutchinson told the committee Jan. 6 during testimony that Stefan Passantino never told her to lie.
“I want to make sure I make it clear that he did not say, ‘I want you to lie and say you don’t remember these things when I know you do remember,’” Hutchinson said. ‘He didn’t tell me to lie. He told me not to lie.”
On September 15, Weissmann claimed in a tweet that Hutchinson’s lawyer had coached her to lie (he did not mention Passantino’s name).
Hunt is also Cassidy Hutchinson’s good lawyer. (Not the one who coached her to lie) And he’s the guy who took notes of Trump saying, when Mueller was appointed, and quoting him: “I’m f….d” https://t.co/ HFGmwI9f0B
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads) (@AWeissmann_) September 15, 2023
According to Law & Crime, the lawsuit states:
Defendant knew this to be untrue, or said it with reckless disregard for its untruth, because the transcripts of the testimony showed that Mr. Passantino had done nothing to impede or shape Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony and in fact allowed the opposite when she stated that “Stefan never told me to lie” and that “he told me not to lie.”
Defendant chose to defame Mr. Passantino because of partisan animus and Mr. Passantino’s prior ties to President Trump. Furthermore, Defendant has attacked Mr. Passantino as a means to distract and rehabilitate the contradictory and implausible aspects of Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony as they undermine the Select Committee and its biased findings and intentions.
Defendant’s defamation has seriously damaged Mr. Passantino’s 30-year reputation and caused him to lose significant business and income. Mr. Passantino seeks to hold Defendant accountable for this vile lie and the damage it has caused.