DOJ felt ‘blindsided’ by Hutchinson testimony J6 committee had not provided them: NYT

The Department of Justice was "blindsided" by Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony as the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

On May 19, the same newspaper reported DOJ had requested interview transcripts from the select committee.

On June 16, committee member Zoe Lofgren told Raw Story they would be turning over evidence and transcripts.

"The federal prosecutors working on the case watched the aide’s appearance before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and were just as astonished by her account of former President Donald J. Trump’s increasingly desperate bid to hold on to power as other viewers. The panel did not provide them with videos or transcripts of her taped interviews with committee members beforehand, according to several officials, leaving them feeling blindsided," The Times reported.

The select committee subpoenaed Trump White House chief of staff Pat Cipollone on Wednesday. He held the same position that Watergate hearing star witness John Dean held in the Nixon administration.

The newspaper noted Tuesday's hearing "came at a critical moment in parallel investigations that will soon converge, and possibly collide, as the committee wraps up a public inquiry geared for maximum political effect and the department intensifies a high-stakes investigation aimed at securing airtight convictions."

Democrats control both the legislative and judicial branches in Washington, DC.

"Committee members have repeatedly suggested that Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has not moved fast enough to follow up their investigative leads. But for reasons that are not entirely clear — classic Washington bureaucratic territorialism, the department’s unwillingness to share information or the desire to stage-manage a successful public forum — members have resisted turning over hundreds of transcripts until they are done with their work," the newspaper reported. "Senior Justice Department officials say that has slowed their investigation. Ms. Hutchinson’s name has not yet appeared on subpoenas and other court documents related to their investigation into the effort to overturn the 2020 election, and she did not seem to be a primary witness before the hearings."

The split has also angered Democrats who are not on the select committee.

“We need some action from the D.O.J., and we need it now,” Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told the newspaper.

“We’re in a time crunch now. Every day these criminals walk free is one more day of them evading justice. As we get closer to the midterm elections, I fear not acting will only empower the complicit Republicans more if they take power," he said.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), who practiced law for a quarter-century before being elected to Congress, scolded Garland to do his job.