Former White House lawyer, Stefan Passantino, is taking legal action against the Jan. 6 House Select Committee, seeking $67 million in damages for the alleged destruction of his reputation and career, according to a report from Newsmax.
Passantino filed a Federal Tort Claims Act Complaint, accusing the committee of fabricating a “false narrative” about him and infringing upon his civil rights.
Jesse Binnall, Passantino’s attorney, said, “Liz Cheney and her collaborators on the January 6th Committee decided to peddle a false tale about Mr. Passantino and his relationship with his client without any regard for the truth or whether they were destroying the reputation of a good man; a reputation built over decades.”
The complaint suggests that the committee secretly communicated with former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, Passantino’s former client, without his knowledge.
This action not only breached the attorney-client relationship but also contributed to a “false narrative.”
Hutchinson, who testified during a hearing of the Select Committee that Trump on Jan 6 had tried to grab the steering wheel away from a Secret Service agent in order to veer the SUV toward the Capitol, reportedly started collaborating with the committee after her second interview.
The complaint alleges, “The Committee, through a backchannel directly to Mr. Passantino’s client, in total disregard for the attorney-client relationship, convinced Mr. Passantino’s client to sit for additional interviews and give incredible testimony that could then be peddled by national news media friendly to the Committee to damage Mr. Passantino.”
Passantino asserts he was uninformed about the September meeting between Hutchinson and the committee, and he was never given the opportunity to address the allegations.
In her testimony, Hutchinson clarified, “Stefan never told me to lie” and did not want her to commit perjury.
Passantino informed CNN, “I believed Ms. Hutchinson was being truthful and cooperative with the Committee throughout the several interview sessions in which I represented her.”
Nevertheless, the negative media coverage led to Passantino taking a leave of absence from his law firm and facing multiple bar complaints.
The complaint argues, “This is all a result of the Committee’s unjustifiable, outrageous, and malicious leaks of private information and interference in Mr. Passantino’s representation of his clients.”
