Pat Cipollone subpoenaed by Jan. 6 committee in wake of Cassidy Hutchinson testimony

The House Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone after calls by panel members earlier Wednesday for him to testify in the wake of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony.

The committee is demanding that Mr. Cipollone come forward in light of evidence that “he repeatedly raised legal and other concerns about President Trump’s activities and in the days that preceded,” Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican said in a statement.

Ms. Hutchinson, who had previously been interviewed by the committee behind closed doors, appeared before the committee in a surprise public hearing Tuesday called at the last minute to present new evidence the panel collected.

During her testimony, she revealed that several top officials, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Mr. Cipollone, virtually begged White House aides in the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, not to allow the president to visit the Capitol for the Electoral College vote certification.

Mr. Cipollone warned that if Mr. Trump did so, it would risk criminal charges, such as obstruction of justice, inciting a riot or defrauding the Electoral College count, Ms. Hutchinson said.

Ms. Cheney demanded earlier Wednesday that Mr. Cipollone come forward in light of Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony.

“As we heard yesterday, WH counsel Pat Cippollone had significant concerns re. Trump’s Jan 6 activities,” she wrote on Twitter. “It’s time for Mr. Cippollone to testify on the record.”

Mr. Cipollone has, in recent weeks, declined to cooperate with the panel’s investigation after previously sitting for an informal interview in April, according to the committee.

“While the Select Committee appreciates Mr. Cipollone’s earlier informal engagement with our investigation, the committee needs to hear from him on the record, as other former White House counsels have done in other congressional investigations,” Mr. Thompson and Ms. Cheney said Wednesday.

“Any concerns Mr. Cipollone has about the institutional prerogatives of the office he previously held are clearly outweighed by the need for his testimony,” the lawmakers said.