Ex-Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson says photo refutes Biden impeachment witness's claims
Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, through her attorney, responded Friday to one of House Republicans' top impeachment witnesses, Tony Bobulinski, claiming in a letter first obtained by ABC News that comments he made in his recent interview with the House Oversight Committee were "defamatory," with her attorney providing a photo of an alleged encounter between Bobulinski and former White House chief of Staff Mark Meadows that he says refutes Bobulinski's claims about the incident.
In the letter addressed to the panel's top Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and the Republican chairman, James Comer, Hutchinson, through her attorney William H. Jordan, pushed back against claims made by Bobulinski, a one-time business associate of Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden who has since become a critic of the Biden family.
Bobulinski, a top witness in Republican's impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, told the House panel last week Hutchinson was a "liar and a fraud" while denying an anecdote Hutchinson wrote in her book, "Enough," in which Hutchinson recalled that Bobulinski wore a "ski mask" during a secretive encounter with Trump's then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia.
"In the shadows of the bleachers, I observed Mark and Tony Bobulinski's interaction through a gap in the vehicles. When they said their goodbyes, I saw Mark hand Tony what appeared to be a folded sheet of paper or a small envelope," Hutchinson wrote in the book.
"Cassidy Hutchinson is an absolute liar and a fraud," Bobulinski told the panel, saying he wasn't wearing a ski mask and that "[Meadows] didn't hand me a single thing."
In the letter responding to Bobulinski, Hutchinson's attorney wrote that while his client "has no desire to get involved in the impeachment investigation," she "now finds herself the subject of defamatory comments made by Mr. Bobulinski in his testimony to that Committee."
In the letter, Hutchinson's lawyer provided a photo he says Hutchinson took at the time of the alleged encounter between Meadows and Bobulinski at the Trump rally.
"Mr. Bobulinski claims under oath that he was not wearing a mask, that Mr. Meadows did not hand him anything, and that Ms. Hutchinson was 'fabricating facts,'" Hutchinson's lawyer wrote in the letter. "Perhaps Mr. Bobulinski's memory is impaired about the meeting, and a picture would help refresh his recollection."
The photo appears to show the pair meeting at night between SUVs with Bobukinski wearing a hat and a black mask.
During his testimony with the House Oversight panel, Bobukinski said he remembered meeting Meadows at the Georgia rally and having private security with him at the time.
"Are you wearing a ski mask?" Bobukinski was asked and replied, "I was not wearing a ski mask."
"Ms. Hutchinson took a photo of Mr. Bobulinski meeting with Mr. Meadows from her vantage point just on the other side of the vehicle from their conversation," Jordan wrote in his letter. "A copy is attached to this letter. Mr. Bobulinski may be somewhat hard to make out in this image -- since he is wearing his Penn State hat ... and a mask."
"Ms. Hutchinson stands by what she witnessed that night and wrote in her book," he added.
An attorney for Bobulinski, Jesse Binnall, said in response, "We will see to it that Ms. Hutchinson soon gets her day in court to tell her story in front of a jury and the truth will prevail."
Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Friday's letter comes days after Raskin sent a letter to Bobulinski's attorney calling his testimony "chaotic" and saying it "did not offer any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden."
Bobulinski attorney Stefan Passantino, responded in his own letter to the top Democrat, writing, "I am shocked and disgusted that you or anyone else would question his motives, patriotism or sincerity when you dishonestly assert that Mr. Bobulinski 'did not offer any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden' or 'provide any evidence that President Biden was involved in his family's business dealings.'"
Following Bobulinski's testimony, Comer said that Bobulinski had "articulated under oath that Joe Biden was 'the brand' the Bidens sold to enrich the family."
