Former White House attorney Stefan Passantino has filed a defamation lawsuit against MSNBC’s Andrew Weissman, the lead prosecutor in the Robert Mueller investigation. This lawsuit stems from Weissman’s claims that Passantino coached witness Cassidy Hutchinson to lie before the January 6 Committee.
Hutchinson’s third-hand testimony about Trump’s alleged actions on January 6th was rejected by those she claimed had informed her. Passantino represented Hutchinson during her committee appearance and faced false allegations of coaching her to lie.
Passantino’s lawsuit references a September 15 tweet by Weissman accusing Passantino of coaching Hutchinson to lie. Text messages from Hutchinson to a friend were also cited, where she mentioned Passantino encouraging her cooperation with the committee.
During her September 2022 testimony, Hutchinson clarified that Passantino never told her to lie but instructed her not to lie. Passantino asserted that he represented Hutchinson ethically and in her best interests.
He emphasized that he never counseled any client to mislead anyone. Passantino has taken legal action against the January 6 Committee for its alleged unlawful and unethical conduct and filed a defamation lawsuit seeking damages exceeding $75,000 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
