Cassidy Hutchinson, star witness in Jan. 6 hearings, aspired to 'civic significance'

The 25-year-old former White House aide testified in vivid detail about Donald Trump's rage in the final days of his term. But four years ago, she was eager to serve the former president.

n the fall of 2018, a Virginia college student named Cassidy Hutchinson already knew what she wanted out of life.

"I have set a personal goal to pursue a path of civic significance," Hutchinson told Christopher Newport University, where she was a senior.

Hutchinson has since achieved at least part of her career ambition, taking on a central role this week in the Jan. 6 committee's investigation of the deadly U.S. Capitol riot.

In explosive testimony Tuesday, the 25-year-old former White House aide testified in stark terms about former President Donald Trump's furious last-ditch bid to keep power in the final days of his presidency, riveting television viewers across the country and infuriating much of the political movement she once served.

Four years ago, though, Hutchinson was still thrilled about the opportunity to work for Trump, telling her alma mater in Newport News, Virginia, that she was "brought to tears" when she received an email letting her know she had been accepted into the White House's elite summer internship program. She was particularly honored as a self-described first-generation college student.

"My small contribution to the quest to maintain American prosperity and excellence is a memory I will hold as one of the honors of my life," the New Jersey native said in an interview with a member of the university's communications department. The resulting article was titled "A Captain in the 'People's House.'"

Hutchinson was no stranger to Washington when she began her internship. She had already interned for Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, two of Trump's most stalwart allies in Congress. "Interning on Capitol Hill confirmed my desire to continue a path in government," the political science major said.

She joined the White House staff not long after graduation and become a top aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows in March 2020, eight months before Trump faced off against Joe Biden at the ballot box. She was often seen by Meadows' side, according to former co-workers, taking notes in meetings or accompanying him to events.

"Knowing how closely she followed Meadows, he really did have her come to every trip, she was always on Air Force One, always on the Hill, in every meeting," a former Trump aide familiar with Hutchinson's work and her relationships with key White House officials told NBC News this week.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/cassidy-hutchinson-star-witness-jan-6-hearings-aspired-civic-significa-rcna36105