House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy swiped at CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju on Friday over his question about Jan. 6.
McCarthy interrupted Ranu as he questioned him about an alleged phone call the minority leader made to Cassidy Hutchinson voicing his concern about former President Donald Trump and his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“So we’re going to January 6, go ahead, yes,” McCarthy said. “You know we’re in a recession, too, right?”
“She testified under oath saying that called her after Donald Trump said that he told his supporters to go to the Capitol, and you were concerned about those remarks and said, ‘Don’t come up here, figure it out, don’t come up here.’ She said that under oath. Did you tell her that and why were you concerned about the prospects of Donald Trump coming to the Capitol on January 6?”
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McCarthy said he does “not recall” talking to Hutchinson on the day of the Capitol riot, but suggested it was a possibility. He confirmed that he spoke to former White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, Jared Kushner and the former president.
“If I talked to her, I don’t remember it,” he said. “It was coming up here, I don’t think I wanted a lot of people coming up here to the Capitol. But I don’t remember the conversation.” (RELATED: Yet Another Detail From Bombshell J6 Testimony Contested)
Ranu asked why he was specifically concerned about Trump coming to the Capitol. McCarthy said he had no recollection of having those concerns.
“You don’t remember his comments?” Ranu asked.
“No, but because I didn’t watch it,” he said. “This is what is so confusing. 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.”
“Did you want him to come to the Capitol?” the reporter pressed.
“No, I never communicated with him about coming to the Capitol. I had no idea he would come to the Capitol, that’s news to me.”
The reporter reiterated Hutchinson’s testimony that she had assured McCarthy throughout the week that Trump would not arrive at the Capitol to hold his “Stop the Steal” rally. The minority leader repeated that he has no recollection of that.
Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the January 6 Select Committee chairman, told reporters Friday the committee can look at the phone records of Hutchinson and McCarthy to verify the testimony, The Hill reported. The committee does not currently have McCarthy’s records.
Hutchinson testified that Secret Service agent Tony Ornato informed her that Trump lunged toward the steering wheel of the presidential limousine to veer toward the Capitol, then grabbed Secret Service agent Robert Engel by the clavicle as he attempted to pull Trump back.
The two agents are reportedly slated to deny her testimony. Ornato allegedly denied telling Hutchinson that either event occurred, according to CNN reporter Gabby Orr.
Trump denied Hutchinson’s allegations in a June 30 interview with Newsmax, calling the allegations “absolutely crazy.”
“This lady yesterday, is there something wrong with her?” he said. “She said I jumped from a car and I started strangling … a Secret Service agent who I know very well? I grabbed the steering wheel of a car, said I wanted guns at my rally. I didn’t want guns. I have to speak too, and I don’t want guns for anybody.”
The Daily Caller contacted McCarthy’s office, to which they did not immediately reply.
