“‘It’s the make-or-break moment for the Republican party.’”
That’s one-time White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, speaking Monday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” about her concerns regarding former President Donald Trump and his 2024 reelection campaign.
Hutchinson, who served in the Trump administration and testified to Congress about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said she didn’t consider Trump “a strong Republican” and encouraged party members to move past the former president.
“Now is the time if these politicians, these men and some women that are currently in Congress, want to make the break and want to take the stand, they have to do it now. We can’t wait any longer for them to do it. I don’t know why they’re so willing to support him,” said Hutchinson, who worked under former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
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Trump and Meadows are among the 19 charged in a Georgia racketeering case involving the 2020 presidential contest and charges of election interference. Trump has also been indicted in three other cases — two federal cases and one in New York.
“We’re talking about a man who at the very essence of his being almost destroyed democracy in one day and he wants to do it again,” Hutchinson said, referring to the events of Jan. 6, 2021 “He wants to run for President to do it again.”
Read more: In interview, Trump refuses to say whether he watched Jan. 6 attack unfold on TV
Hutchinson is currently promoting her book, “Enough,” which is set to be released Tuesday.
During the interview, Maddow pointed to allegations that Hutchinson has made in the book that Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani effectively groped her on Jan. 6. Maddow added that a Giuiliani spokesperson has denied the allegations.
“I stand by what I described in the book,” Hutchinson told Maddow.
Maddow also asked about Hutchinson’s relationship with Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Gaetz said in a statement to Maddow he dated Hutchinson for a few weeks.
Hutchinson told Maddow that she had an “amicable working relationship with Gaetz” but never dated him.
“I have much higher standards in men,” Hutchinson said.
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