The Whole Truth of Cassidy Hutchinson

The first of a two-part series on a young woman and a watershed moment in America's reckoning with Donald Trump.

Ed. Note: Things move quickly these days, with Donald Trump losing big in a New York civil case that portends a loss of his real estate empire and now, another seismic day in the House of Representatives with the removal of Kevin McCarthy  
as Speaker.  

Instead of following every move of those two proceedings, the Resistant Grandmother (TRG), fresh from another visit with my family in California, pursued a more agreeable interest: the story of Cassidy Hutchinson and her journey from Trump acolyte to a woman whose bravery has helped define the realities of Donald Trump and his corrupt presidency. Yes, Trump still leads in polls of GOP primary voters. But I believe Hutchinson’s story, now told in a new book Enough, joins Trump’s legal woes and the horror stories oozing out from any form of Republican governance to help with the nation’s inch-by-inch reckoning with the
Trump/GOP danger.  

The competence of American prosecutions of Trump and courts’ holding the line against baseless claims and lawsuits, incompetence of House Republicans, and the quiet bravery of Hutchinson’s portrayal of a presidency-gone-bad form a tapestry of the Age of Trump in America. Where it all ends up is yet to be seen. But her story is important in finding resolution. And so, I am sharing what I have learned about it in two parts, beginning with today’s piece. 

Part One: Her testimony and what brought her there 

Cassidy Hutchinson appeared before the Jan. 6 House special committee meeting in a hastily called session.  The committee wanted to televise and lock in her testimony under oath just in case she might change her mind. 

Dressed in her now iconic jacket of Suffragette white, Hutchinson was booked as the star -- and only witness -- of the June 28, 2022 proceedings.  Raising her right hand, she vowed to tell the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and impressed committee members and onlookers when carrying through on that promise over the almost two hours of questioning. Her answers were clear, thorough, respectful of the committee, and backed up with evidence of dates, people, and times.    

It was the first time anyone would address the committee this way, making this session special if only for that reason. The bulk of the other testimony was taken from recorded interviews and featured multiple witnesses who had their attorneys next to them. Many took the Fifth Amendment.  Some refused to show up at all — in most but not all instances earning contempt citations and prosecution.   

In this case, Hutchinson went Old School Righteous – a symbol of probity as she walked in and sat by herself, posture perfect at the witness table, not in need of notes or advice of counsel to speak her truth. 

A bravery not seen lately 
An appealing figure in terms of her age (25), height, straight dark hair, and enigmatic Renaissance features, Hutchinson immediately radiated a compelling presence. Quiet fortitude was one description that initially came to mind.

The fact that a young woman who had been in Trump’s inner circle agreed to testify at all also signaled a kind of Jimmy Stewart bravery not seen this starkly and dramatically in American politics for a very long time.  Her demeanor blended in perfectly with the sense of purpose of the hearing and the earnest professionalism of its committee members.  This atmosphere, coupled with the solemnity of her oath-taking, offered a stark contrast from her year in the Trump White House where “truth” was never the coin of the realm. 

Now, the book 
The various details and backstory to this drama are at the heart of Hutchinson’s new book, Enough, which chronicles her 10 and a half months as a staffer in the Trump White House, from March 2020 to her last day -- Jan. 20, 2021.  There, she had worked as Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’s top assistant, the “Chief of Staff of the Chief of Staff” as some referred to her there.  Meadows liked to call her his “Chief of Stuff.”  

Enough describes how she got the job (two previous summer internships), her duties (enormous, for someone so young, it seems) and her ultimate break from Trump world, which would take about another year and a half, in total, as Hutchinson also had to negotiate a politically complicated world, post Trump.  

Promoting the book, Hutchinson has been making the rounds of public affairs programs during the last weeks, kicking off her first live interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and the next night with that network’s Lawrence O’Donnell. 

The many questions 
Both interviews were done well and worth watching, but time constraints left some of my own questions still fully unanswered. These included: “How did a nice young woman like Ms. Hutchinson get mixed up with Donald Trump in the first place?”  And, knowing her stellar behavior in the White House during the madness of Jan. 6 compared to the passive aggressiveness of Mark Meadows, her boss, “Why didn’t she resign immediately, instead of sticking around until the last day of the Trump presidency, Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden’s inauguration day?” 
 
Getting the answers, for me, meant buying the book’s Kindle version as it had the additional benefit of being narrated by Hutchinson and held out the promise of my being able to do other things while listening. 

Rural roots 
As it turned out, I didn’t do anything else while taking in the book’s 10-hour content.  Her sincere voice and fascinating story kept me riveted through her descriptions of a childhood in a rural New Jersey, budding interest in history and government, entering the world of politics beginning with two Washington summer internships in college, and after graduation, signing on with Trump.  

Knowing now how it all turned out, it was more than a little surprising to hear how all-in she was with Trump’s brand of politics.  In silent response to Hutchinson’s admission that she “adored him,” I asked “How could she?” -- remembering Trump’s insufferable insults toward anyone who disagreed with him; mocking of a neurologically-challenged reporter on the campaign trail; disparagement of Senator John McCain’s heroism during Viet Nam and that of all wounded, captured, or killed members of the military; and denigrating the American government, which, if elected, he was obligated by oath of office to oversee and protect.   

But then again, I had decades of experience over Cassidy, years to learn how to spot a charlatan when I saw one, and time to observe that cruelty wasn’t funny, and would be dangerous for American democracy -- when joined with presidential power -- to control.  Knowing that Hutchinson would tell us how she had to quickly discover these truths on her own, during a time of national peril, made me want to hear more. 

On her own 
The lonely nature of Hutchinson’s journey to maturity and insight is all the more remarkable because, like many of us, she does not hail from a well-heeled family with the kind of financial means that can cushion a young person just starting out if they hit tough times. Being a child of wealth in such circumstances might be played out in parent-offspring conversations such as, “Need a lawyer, honey?  No problem. Let me put a call in to Roger (Emily, Cliff, or Dereck, etc.); he/she will be glad to help you” never happened as Hutchinson worked her own way up in life, not inheriting the family and professional networks taken for granted by the sons and daughters of America’s rich.   

This issue was teed up ahead of Hutchinson’s first live TV appearance by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow who preceded the interview describing her guest as one who was “alone in the world” -- a person who succeeded in politics through pluck and hard work, having developed “connections solely on her own” — that is, with no well-heeled family in her corner helping to pull strings.  

Her lonely status was exacerbated in large part by her pro-Trump politics.  The book describes Hutchinson as hitting the job-hunting scene in Washington after college having just broken up with her boyfriend of four years, William.  Their inseparability in school, his acquiescence to (maybe agreement with, she doesn't say) her Conservative politics had lasted throughout the four college years, a trip to Europe, living together for a time, and matching his own desire to get a job in Washington as she, too, had planned.  Hutchinson’s brief sojourn in the office of Texas Senator Ted Cruz had not been an issue. But her signing on with Trump was. William did not agree with Trump’s politics; she did. So, he said goodbye. 

A good start 
Hutchinson’s determination to follow through with her life as a productive presidential staffer began in March 2020 just after Mark Meadows was hired as Trump’s fourth Chief of Staff.  The two were different in complimentary, or at least not uncomplimentary ways. Hutchinson’s even-keeled temperament and strong organizational skills were a welcomed influence on the disorganized, drama-filled Trump White House.    

Boss Meadows and assistant Hutchinson also meshed in that Meadows was “more Conservative” and Hutchinson resembled the more moderate former and present party leaders, Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney, two party heroes cited in her book.   But Hutchinson said both she and her boss saw that as a positive, not a negative contrast in political preferences, and formed a strong pact. 

Like father, like president 
Although this is not mentioned in Hutchinson’s book, TRG perceived Hutchinson’s early family life as playing a role in her ability to overlook Trump’s difficult personality and rationalize his actions.  That relates to her father Richard, who -- although miles apart in wealth and social status -- was not completely dissimilar from Donald Trump. 

Richard Hutchinson, himself a fan of Donald Trump, was moody, mercurial, awkward in personal relationships (“on” one minute and detached and or irritable the next), and unreliable in taking care of those counting on him to do so.  In fact, Hutchinson adhered to a conservative American belief strain that “helping” bred “weakness.” Every instance of harsh parenting was spun as important in instilling self-reliance and the “warrior” instinct. To this day, Hutchinson values that quality and cites her father at the beginning of the book for passing on that trait to her.   

Happy birthday gone wrong 
When Richard Hutchinson was “on,” he could be generous and giving – using hard-earned money to buy his daughter a four-wheeler for her eighth birthday, for example.  When he was was not “on,” the same man would be cruel, as when that same four-wheeler overturned as his inexperienced offspring tried to keep up with him, driving at break-neck speed across a snowy and icy field. 

Pinned underneath, his daughter cried out in pain, finally yelling loudly to catch his attention.  Angrily stopping, reversing his tracks, and getting off his vehicle, Richardson berated his daughter for flipping over. He stood over his daughter’s body underneath the vehicle and refused to help, yelling, “Get up! Get up!” in a twisted test of an eight-year-old's resilience.   

Concluding her father really would not lift a hand, Cassidy slowly crawled out from underneath, willing her aching body to get back up on the car and drive home as her father demanded.  But before she could reach the seat, Richard Hutchinson callously extended the test. He removed the key from the ignition, threw it far into the field, and told his daughter to find it, then sped off without checking whether she did or not. 

The eight-year-old found the key, having carefully watched where it fell, retrieved it from the icy dirt, started up her birthday present, and drove home -- accurately assessing that things would never again be the same between her father and her.

Of watching The Apprentice and smashing plates 
Just as Cassidy had begun to pull apart emotionally from her father, things had begun to deteriorate between her parents. Increasingly, Richard Hutchinson worked longer and longer hours, as if an excuse to not engage fully with the family at the end of the day.  His late nightly arrivals meant eating meals alone on dinner trays in front of the TV watching his favorite program, Donald Trump’s hit reality show, The Apprentice. Just as frequently, the nightly routine included arguments between her parents, as Cassidy and little brother Jack could not help but hear them while trying to get
to sleep.  

Even though Hutchinson does not mention this in her book, TRG could not help but see the similarities between Richard Hutchinson and Donald Trump’s angry and reclusive behaviors.  The book describes how Trump often stayed up, held late meetings, and did not reliably return to the residential quarters for dinner – a habit previous presidents like George W. Bush and Barack Obama held sacred.  

Trump’s eating lunch and dinner by himself in the dining room near his office is noted for another reason -- as the place where the 45^th president would angrily throw plates of food against the wall, breaking dishes and splaying ketchup such as when the Supreme Court rejected a Texas Attorney General’s petition to throw out the votes of the four key swing states of Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.   

Two volatile men — one in the past and the other in her present — and one young impressionable woman trying her best to make her way in the world. What could possibly go wrong? 

Stay tuned for Part II: What happened to Cassidy Hutchinson between the presidential election on November 3, 2020, to today. And, Donald Trump.  

--trg 

Who I’m writing for…

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