House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Friday that he does not remember speaking with former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson during the January 6 attack on the Capitol, despite her sworn testimony confirming the conversation.
During her testimony before the Jan 6 Committee, Hutchinson revealed that McCarthy had called her to express his concern about then-president Trump going to the Capitol.
“You told me this whole week you aren’t coming up here. Why would you lie to me?” he said, according to Hutchinson.
In response, Hutchingson assured him that Trump was not going to the Capitol.
“Well, he just said it on stage, Cassidy. Figure it out,” McCarthy replied.
But under questioning from reporters on Friday, McCarthy now says he cannot recall speaking with her.
“I don’t recall talking to her that day … if I talked to her, I don’t remember it,” the GOP leader told CNN’s Manu Raju If it was coming up here, I don’t think I wanted a lot of people coming up to the Capitol. But I don’t remember the conversation,” he said.
McCarthy then denied having watched Trump’s speech that day, despite Hutchinson’s testimony that he called her in response to the speech.
“I didn’t watch the speech. I was working. So I didn’t see what was said. I didn’t see what went on until after the fact,” he said before repeating that he did not remember “having any conversations with her about coming to the Capitol”.
.@mkraju asks about former White House aid Cassidy Hutchinson testifying @January6thCmte that McCarthy told her not to have President Trump come to the U.S. Capitol.
.@GOPLeader McCarthy "I don't recall talking to her that day…if I talked to her, I don't remember it." pic.twitter.com/l9F0NCqnJl
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 29, 2022
McCarthy just told me that he does NOT “recall” his conversations with Cassidy Hutchinson on Jan. 6. I asked him about her sworn testimony that he called her after Trump said at rally he was going to the Capitol and told her not to come to the Capitol. Says he doesn’t recall.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 29, 2022
