GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy: 'I don't recall' talking to Cassidy Hutchinson on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthytold reporters Friday he did not recall speaking to former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson the day the Capitol was attacked Jan. 6, 2021.

"I don't recall talking to her that day," McCarthy, R-Calif., said in response to CNN reporter Manu Raju's questioning about Hutchinson's explosive testimony.

An aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Hutchinson told the committee she received an angry call from McCarthy during Trump's rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, which directly preceded the attack at the Capitol.

Star witness: In 'combustible' testimony, Cassidy Hutchinson, surprise Jan. 6 witness, quietly drops bombshells

POTUS' temper: Trump's rage over election led to dish-throwing, assaulting Secret Service agent, aide says

McCarthy didn't want Trump to go to the Capitol with the crowd and told her “Don’t come up here,” according to her testimony.

"Why were you concerned about the prospects of Donald Trump coming to the Capitol on Jan. 6?" Raju asked McCarthy on Friday.

"I recall talking to Dan Scavino, I recall talking to Jared (Kushner), I recall talking to Trump," McCarthy said, referring to Trump White House aides. He later added those conversations took place amid his evacuation from the Capitol. "If I talked to (Hutchinson), I don't remember it."

McCarthy said that he didn't want a lot of people coming up to the Capitol on Jan. 6. "But I don't remember the conversation," he added.

Trump allies: Meet the 5 Republican congressmen who aides say asked Trump for a pardon after the Jan. 6 attack

Primetime event: 20 million people saw the prime-time Jan. 6 hearing. Here’s why Americans say they’re tuning in.

McCarthy also said he did not remember being concerned about Trump's presence at the Capitol and insisted he had no idea about Trump's plans.

"Because I didn't watch (the rally)," he said. "This is what is so confusing. I didn't watch the speech. I was working. So, I didn't see what was said, I didn't see what went on 'til after the fact."

McCarthy called Trump on the day of the insurrection to plead with the former president to intervene in the violence to no avail, according to multiple witnesses.

McCarthy eventually reached out to Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and special adviser.

"I got the sense that they were scared... that (McCarthy) was scared," Kushner told the Jan. 6 committee in prerecorded testimony.

Jan. 6 live updates: Cheney backs Hutchinson, 'absolutely confident in her credibility'

'Domestic threat:' Liz Cheney says Republicans must abandon Donald Trump

In the days following the attack, McCarthy also told Republican leaders that Trump should resign, according to a leaked phone call published by the New York Times and later aired on MSNBC.

Prior to the leak, but shortly after an April story in the New York Times about his resignation remarks, McCarthy called the news outlet's report "totally false and wrong."

Contributing: The Associated Press

Reach out to Chelsey Cox on Twitter at @therealco.

Jan. 6 takeaways: An angry Trump pushed to go to Capitol, counsel warned of 'every crime imaginable'

About Hutchinson: Cassidy Hutchinson testifies at Jan. 6 hearing. Who is the former aide to Mark Meadows?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin McCarthy says he doesn't recall talking to Cassidy Hutchinson