US Presidential Elections 2024: Ex-Donald Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson endorses Kamala Harris in US election

Donald Trump is going to have another familiar name in the opposition camp. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, announced her endorsement of Trump’s Democratic rival in the fast-approaching presidential election. Hutchinson endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, saying her decision was based on the candidate’s character and her belief about who can uphold the rule of law, reported the Washington Post.

Hutchinson was one of the many individuals who was thoroughly grilled and testified extensively during the January 6, 2021 insurrection investigation by a House committee which probed the attack on the Capitol building by Trump supporters after the 2020 presidential elections. Hutchinson made her decision to support Harris during her Wednesday night appearance on MSNBC.

“I’ve known for quite a long time, number one, that I would never in my life vote for Donald Trump ever again,” Hutchinson told MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell. She added that she had known “for a long time” that she would be voting for the Democratic ticket when it was led by President Joe Biden, and now, Harris.

A couple of things weighed into Hutchinson’s decision. Firstly, she said, it was based on having seen Trump “up close” and “believing him when he tells us who he is.” To make it worse, watching Trump select Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate only made the decision easier for Hutchinson.

Having endorsed Harris, Hutchinson has joined a growing number of other Republicans who have announced their support for Harris – the list includes former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney and her father, former vice president Dick Cheney.

“It’s just a despicable betrayal of the Republican Party,” Hutchison said. Later she added: “The character of our leaders really matters, too. We need to be able to elect people that we can trust to uphold our rule of law.”

She added: “But Donald Trump and JD Vance cannot be trusted with the Constitution. They cannot be trusted to uphold our rule of law, and they can’t be trusted to enact responsible policy.”

Trump and his allies have long maintained that the former president has united the party and helped get rid of those with questionable loyalties to his policies.

“The majority of the people who served in President Trump’s cabinet and in his administration, like the majority of Americans, have overwhelmingly endorsed his candidacy to beat Kamala and take back the White House,” said Steven Cheung, Trump campaign spokesperson, in a statement.

Only 24 of Trump’s 42 cabinet members publicly endorsed his candidacy, The Washington Post reported in August.