ARCHIVE – In this 2016 archive photo, Boeing’s J. Michael Luttig speaks at the Florence Civic Center during the annual luncheon of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce member SC Joe Perry / The Morning News via AP
Lutig will probably also say that the Republican National Committee is making a mistake in referring to some of the events of January 6, 2021 as “legitimate political reason” and warning conservative colleagues not to ignore the gravity of what Trump did as he tried to hold . in the presidency that day. The retired judge’s scheduled remarks were confirmed to CBS News by two people aware of his expected testimony, who were not authorized to discuss the details of the hearing. He will also reveal how he advised then-Vice President Mike Pence to resist Trump’s calls to prevent Pence from being certified by Congressman Joe Biden. A person familiar with Lutig’s planned testimony said he sees his appearance before the commission as a serious and sober moment similar to an appearance before the US Supreme Court. Pence’s lawyers and aides contacted Lutig before congressional certification, asking for his guidance and a conservative spontaneous opinion on Pence’s decision. Lutig briefly served as an informal, external consultant to the vice president’s team. Lutig’s role in that episode caught the committee’s attention. He has long stated that he would be willing to share his story and views on the state of the Democratic Party and American democracy. “If invited by Congress, I would be happy to testify,” Lutig told CBS News in April. Pence’s former adviser, Greg Jacob, will also testify before the committee on Thursday. Both Jacob and Lutig advised Pence to refrain from doing anything to undermine congressional ratings – and to ignore the advice of conservative lawyer and Trump ally John Eastman, a former Luigi official. Eastman wrote a two-page note, embraced by Trump, which argues the vice president could take steps to delay certification and allow states to send alternative voter lists to Congress for consideration. A federal judge recently ordered Eastman to submit 159 papers to the House Selection Committee. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who oversaw the dispute over the files between Eastman and the House panel, said the last installment to be revealed is not covered by a lawyer-client privilege or a protected work product, as claimed by conservative lawyer. The 159 documents were part of a larger batch of nearly 600 documents that Eastman fought to protect from the commission. Carter said 440 of them were privileged and protected from revelation. Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.
Attack on the US Capitol
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Robert Costa is the Washington, DC-based chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News.
