Former Trump adviser Cassidy Hutchinson reveals the reason she's voting for Kamala Harris

Former Trump White House adviser Cassidy Hutchinson announced on TV hits Wednesday night and Thursday morning that she would vote for Kamala Harris in November, saying the country must focus on defeating the former president.

Hutchinson, who gave bombshell testimony about Trump and his allies before the House Select Committee on January 6, explained her reasoning in an interview with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. “First of all, I've known for quite some time that I would never vote for Donald Trump again in my life,” she said.

“I never want to try to tell anyone how to vote,” said Hutchinson, who worked for Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows. “But in my experience, the first experience is to be very close to Donald Trump, to see his character, to know who he is, to believe him when he tells us who he is, and also who he considers his Vice Presidential nominee – JD Vance.” That's a whole other topic – it's just a despicable portrayal of the Republican Party.”

She added that she is “really, really proud as a conservative to be able to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in this election,” although she says there are few issues on which she sees eye-to-eye with vice would be president.

“We need to elect people we can trust to uphold our rule of law,” Hutchinson said. “People who our children look at and want to emulate.”

Hutchinson has previously warned about the potential dangers of a second Trump term, although she said she still considers herself a Republican.

“I say to Republicans who may still be on the fence: I understand how scary it can be to potentially break with your party,” she said in the MSNBC interview. “I also understand that there are concerns about inflation – and very legitimate ones. But Donald Trump and JD Vance cannot be trusted with the Constitution, they cannot be trusted to uphold our rule or our law, and they cannot be trusted to implement responsible policies.”

In Hutchinson's view, these issues are, among other things, “disqualifying” – including the fact that Trump is criminally charged. Her opposition to the former president is so strong that she says she will also vote for Democrats in House and Senate races.

“I think it's so important that we put this era of Donald Trump behind us so that America can begin to heal,” Hutchinson said. “And once we get through this period, hopefully we can open up responsible political debates in the future. But right now we need to focus on defeating Donald Trump.”

She continued her anti-Trump campaign Thursday morning, particularly calling out his male supporters in the Republican Party Morning Joe when moderator Mika Brzezinski asked why Republicans like Hutchinson and former Rep. Liz Cheney — who served as vice chair of the committee on Jan. 6 — appear to be few and far between.

“I don’t know why so many Republicans — especially men — are still cloaked in cowardice, especially in the face of Donald Trump and JD Vance,” Hutchinson said. “The Republican Party is completely unrecognizable from what it once was.”

“But we have confidence in our leaders,” she continued. “Like Liz Cheney, who stepped forward, and Adam Kinzinger. There are still good Republicans out there trying to save what’s left of the party, but we need more people to step forward.”