Ethics Panels Dismiss Complaints Against Former Lawyer for Jan. 6 Witness
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The witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, declined to cooperate with inquiries into Stefan Passantino prompted by her assertions that he pressed her to protect Donald Trump.
Legal ethics watchdogs in the District of Columbia and Georgia have dismissed complaints against the lawyer Stefan C. Passantino over allegations that he pressured a former client, Cassidy Hutchinson, to remain loyal and protect former President Donald J. Trump by saying little to Congress about his conduct in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Ms. Hutchinson declined to cooperate with the inquiries by repeating to investigators the allegations she had made to Congress about Mr. Passantino, whom she replaced as her lawyer before testifying publicly to the House Jan. 6 committee. Mr. Passantino has denied the allegations that he pressured her.
In dismissing the complaints about him, the State Bar of Georgia and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel with D.C.’s Board on Professional Responsibility both cited a lack of sufficient evidence against him, according to documents provided by his lawyer.
Mr. Passantino drew scrutiny after Ms. Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, hired a different lawyer and then provided more damaging details about Mr. Trump to the House committee that investigated the events culminating in the Jan. 6 riot. Mr. Passantino had worked in the White House Counsel’s Office under Mr. Trump and his legal fees were being paid by Mr. Trump’s political action committee.
Ms. Hutchinson told Congress that Mr. Passantino had coupled advice to say she remembered little with assurances that she would get a “really good job in ‘Trump world.’” Her allegations led to the filing of complaints seeking to have him disbarred by various critics, including a group called Lawyers Defending American Democracy.
A lawyer for Ms. Hutchinson, Bill Jordan, said she had not gotten involved in the reviews by various bar associations. While he did not directly answer why she did not cooperate, he noted that “Ms. Hutchinson did not file any complaint against Mr. Passantino.”
