House Democrats released a 78-page report on the House’s Jan. 6 investigative activities in which they blasted Rep. Barry Loudermik’s (R-GA) December 2024 report accusing former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) of witness tampering.
The report was authored by Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY), the ranking member on the Committee on House Administration. He called Loudermilk’s 127-page report compiled from the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 subcommittee a “work of fiction and an effort to rewrite American history for personal and partisan gain.”
In his report, Loudermilk accused Cheney of manipulating the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mark Meadows, who served as former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff.
According to House Democrats’ report, Hutchinson’s testimony was “important and other key testimonial evidence” that supported the allegation Trump sought to overturn the 2020 election results and “purposely disseminated false allegations of fraud.” Hutchinson shared that she was told that Trump became “angry, furious or irate” inside the presidential limousine when he was refused to be taken to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Loudermilk accused Cheney of secretly communicating with Hutchinson without her attorney’s knowledge. However, House Democrats wrote in their report that Hutchinson severed her ties with her Trumpworld lawyer Stefan Passantino before engaging with Cheney with the report, pointing to this being shared in her book Enough.
“Ms. Hutchinson made the independent decision to terminate her then-counsel of her own accord given the conflict of interest she perceived and represent herself because she did not believe Mr. Passantino was representing her interests,” attorney William H. Jordan wrote in a letter to the D.C. Court of Appeals Office of Disciplinary Council.
Loudermilk asserted that Cheney and Hutchinson colluded to get Passantino disbarred, which House Democrats have deemed false.
“Chairman Loudermilk cites no evidence for this assertion because there is none,” the report reads. “It also states that Mr. Passantino was not disciplined by the District of Columbia Office Disciplinary Counsel over his actions representing Ms. Hutchinson, citing a New York Times article. This claim is also false, he was not cleared.”
House Democrats also said Loudermilk “fails to analyze the elements of the alleged crimes, cite any case law or provide any legal reasoning” on how Cheney fell out of line with the Constitution’s speech and debate clause.
“Put simply, the statements in the Loudermilk report are absurd,” the report reads. “If the clause did not apply to congressional investigations, Chairman Loudermilk could be subject to liability himself for defamation.”
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The House Democrats’ report also criticized Loudermilk for failing to address Capitol Police officer safety and how to strengthen security and support for the 2025 election results certification.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Loudermilk’s office for comment.