Stefan Passantino, an attorney who represented Cassidy Hutchinson, an ex-Trump aide, has filed a $67 million claim against former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s now-dissolved January 6 Committee. Passantino alleges that the Democratic-led panel deliberately destroyed his reputation and career by pushing a false narrative against him.
After receiving a subpoena from the January 6 committee in November 2021, Hutchinson contacted the Save America PAC, which is linked to President Donald Trump, for assistance with her legal fees. Passantino subsequently represented Hutchinson until June 2022, when she switched attorneys.
Cassidy Hutchinson was part of the act and Liz Cheney should face serious criminal charges.
The J6 Witch Hunt Committee and their propagandists in the media peddled the huge myth that Cassidy Hutchinson was being “pressured” by her attorney Stefan Passantino to support Trump.…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 11, 2023
Passantino’s claim, filed last week, accuses the committee of spreading an “outrageous tale” to media sources, including CNN, which implicated him in efforts to obstruct the panel’s investigation by influencing Hutchinson’s testimony. The committee claimed that Passantino encouraged Hutchinson to lie about events related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests. Passantino maintains he did not instruct Hutchinson to be dishonest or commit perjury and asserts that the committee’s leak was “unjustifiable, outrageous, and malicious.”
Due to the leaked information, Passantino faced severe consequences, including parting ways with one of his law firms and defending himself against bar complaints. He claims this has caused him “immediate and severe reputational, emotional, and economic damages.” Passantino’s claim was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, giving the government six months to respond before he could file a federal lawsuit.
Former Trump White House attorney Stefan Passantino, who represented Jan. 6 Committee witness former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, filed a claim against the now-dissolved Democratic-led House panel for $67 million for destroying "his reputation and career.… pic.twitter.com/Mxbg4vCCIn
— Bad Kitty Unleashed 🦁💪🏻 (@pepesgrandma) April 17, 2023
Despite the January 6 Committee’s efforts to paint Passantino as a Trump loyalist, he has previously criticized the Republican campaign’s lawsuits against Dominion voting machines. In addition, the claim highlights that Hutchinson never expressed reservations about Passantino’s connections to the Trump White House or the funding from a Trump-related PAC.
Before releasing Hutchinson’s transcripts, the committee never interviewed Passantino, which implicated him in witness intimidation. This claim suggests that the panel misused Hutchinson’s testimony to bolster their case against former President Trump, disregarding due process and fairness.
Stefan Passantino’s lawsuit against the January 6 Committee underscores concerns about the panel’s motivations and conduct. It raises questions about whether the committee’s pursuit of their agenda led them to act unjustly and, in the process, damage an individual’s reputation and career. As the lawsuit unfolds, it will shed more light on the extent of the January 6 Committee’s actions and their potential impact on those involved.
