Cassidy Hutchinson denies dating Matt Gaetz: “Somebody that I personally do not hold in high regard”
Former White House aide and Jan. 6 whistleblower Cassidy Hutchinson, in a recent sit-down with MSNBC, got real with host Rachel Maddow about the flurry of inappropriate interactions she had with various Republican legislators and Trump allies.
In her new memoir, “Enough,” excerpted in The Guardian last week, Hutchinson detailed how she was groped on Jan 6 by former MAGA attorney Rudy Giuliani in the presence of John Eastman, two individuals accused of helping to orchestrate the plot to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Maddow, on Monday, emphasized how she was struck that Giuliani was “not the only one” singled out by Hutchinson’s account, underscoring mentions of unseemly actions by Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who instructed Hutchinson to “lose the ponytail” and only drink red wine, and former President Donald Trump, who told Hutchinson to add blonde highlights to her hair, which she did.
Perhaps the most flagrant mention was Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who, per the memoir, once traced his thumb across Hutchinson’s chin while saying, “has anyone ever told you you’re a national treasure?” Maddow cited another encounter in which the conservative legislator appeared at Hutchinson’s door one evening at the Camp David presidential retreat and broached her several times about escorting him back to his cabin, even though, as Hutchinson notes, “it’s impossible to get lost” because “all the cabins are clearly marked” in a “circle drive.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was reportedly present for the incident, told Gaetz to “get a life,” according to the excerpt Maddow read. Gaetz replied to the allegations in a statement to MSNBC, saying that he did not recall the incidents, also asserting that he and Hutchinson had dated for a few weeks before they “parted amicably and remained friends thereafter.”
“Matt Gaetz, in my opinion, is somebody that I personally do not hold in high regard in terms of trust, and I do not think Matt Gaetz has the best track record for relationships,” Hutchinson said in response to Maddow. “I don’t really have much else to say to somebody who is much more concerned about a sound bite than actually passing legislation.”
Watch below, via MSNBC: