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Enough
Cassidy Hutchinson’s desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis, where she risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington.
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
Her life took a dramatic turn on January 6, 2021, when, at twenty-four, she found herself in one of the most extraordinary and unprecedented calamities in modern political history.
Hutchinson was faced with a choice between loyalty to the Trump administration or loyalty to the country by revealing what she saw and heard in the attempt to overthrow a democratic election. She bravely came forward to become the pivotal witness in the House January 6 investigations, as her testimony transfixed and stunned the nation. In her memoir, Hutchinson reveals the struggle between the pressures she confronted to toe the party line and the demands of the oath she swore to defend American democracy.
Enough reaches far beyond the typical insider political account. It’s the saga of a woman whose fierce determination helped her overcome childhood challenges to get her dream job, only to face a crisis of conscience that more senior White House aides tried to evade and, in the process, find her voice and herself. This is a portrait of how the courage of one person can change the course of history.
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
Her life took a dramatic turn on January 6, 2021, when, at twenty-four, she found herself in one of the most extraordinary and unprecedented calamities in modern political history.
Hutchinson was faced with a choice between loyalty to the Trump administration or loyalty to the country by revealing what she saw and heard in the attempt to overthrow a democratic election. She bravely came forward to become the pivotal witness in the House January 6 investigations, as her testimony transfixed and stunned the nation. In her memoir, Hutchinson reveals the struggle between the pressures she confronted to toe the party line and the demands of the oath she swore to defend American democracy.
Enough reaches far beyond the typical insider political account. It’s the saga of a woman whose fierce determination helped her overcome childhood challenges to get her dream job, only to face a crisis of conscience that more senior White House aides tried to evade and, in the process, find her voice and herself. This is a portrait of how the courage of one person can change the course of history.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2023
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October 11, 2023
There is something creepy about the world that Cassidy Hutchinson describes. There is a fantasy world around her and she sees appearances as reality while never realizing that she was enabling the fascism and never questioning the nature of her own reality until the very end well after the January 6 riots. Her cultish devotion to her party and deluded leader led to her calling the unpatriotic American Trump supporting traitor rioters ‘antifa’ and never fully recognizing that there is no such thing as antifa except on the extreme edges of reality.
She routinely would write about watching Fox News (sic) to keep abreast of the world. She also claimed that she entered politics because she was a ‘patriot.’ Her world was one of illusion perpetrated by the fascist MAGA magician deluded Trump himself who gets his power from his adoring fans and they in return get their sense of meaning from his delusions. Trump is delusional, his followers love him even more, and until the very end of this book Cassidy Hutchinson was part of the problem.
She even tells the story that Trump was really offended, feelings hurt and could not tolerate that somebody had said Trump did not support wounded soldiers and thought soldiers, sailors, and airmen were wasting their life. Coincidentally, last week (10/1/2023), Major General John Kelly went on the record and said that the story was true. Cassidy Hutchinson defended Trump’s false statements about his feelings as if they were reflective of reality. Cassidy Hutchinson enabled the fascism and buried reality for the sake of Fox News fictional fantasies because she believed them and thought they were ‘patriots.’
The author clearly didn’t intend this book as a mea maxima culpa, she defends herself and her actions throughout the book never quite understanding how much she was a part of the delusion herself (she watches Fox News, believed Trump’s lies in real time, thinks the patriotic party should support the overthrow of free and fair elections, denied science, and wanted a job in the post-Trump presidency more than justice). There’s no reason to sugar coat fascist supporters who tried to enable a delusional authoritarian to stay in power. False worlds become real when one confuses patriotism with supporting fascism. Democracy will not survive if we don’t call fascist out for the Cretans which they are, Trump yesterday said ‘immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country,’ where did I hear that from before, oh, yeah, Hitler.
I’ve only observed the madness from afar and I was never close to the reality denying soulless narcissistic fascist MAGA morons, but I have seen Trump for what he was from the beginning and know Fox News and their ilk are for those who want to remain denying reality.
She routinely would write about watching Fox News (sic) to keep abreast of the world. She also claimed that she entered politics because she was a ‘patriot.’ Her world was one of illusion perpetrated by the fascist MAGA magician deluded Trump himself who gets his power from his adoring fans and they in return get their sense of meaning from his delusions. Trump is delusional, his followers love him even more, and until the very end of this book Cassidy Hutchinson was part of the problem.
She even tells the story that Trump was really offended, feelings hurt and could not tolerate that somebody had said Trump did not support wounded soldiers and thought soldiers, sailors, and airmen were wasting their life. Coincidentally, last week (10/1/2023), Major General John Kelly went on the record and said that the story was true. Cassidy Hutchinson defended Trump’s false statements about his feelings as if they were reflective of reality. Cassidy Hutchinson enabled the fascism and buried reality for the sake of Fox News fictional fantasies because she believed them and thought they were ‘patriots.’
The author clearly didn’t intend this book as a mea maxima culpa, she defends herself and her actions throughout the book never quite understanding how much she was a part of the delusion herself (she watches Fox News, believed Trump’s lies in real time, thinks the patriotic party should support the overthrow of free and fair elections, denied science, and wanted a job in the post-Trump presidency more than justice). There’s no reason to sugar coat fascist supporters who tried to enable a delusional authoritarian to stay in power. False worlds become real when one confuses patriotism with supporting fascism. Democracy will not survive if we don’t call fascist out for the Cretans which they are, Trump yesterday said ‘immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country,’ where did I hear that from before, oh, yeah, Hitler.
I’ve only observed the madness from afar and I was never close to the reality denying soulless narcissistic fascist MAGA morons, but I have seen Trump for what he was from the beginning and know Fox News and their ilk are for those who want to remain denying reality.
September 26, 2023
I preordered this book knowing it would be a great addition to what we all saw during her testimony before the January 6 committee. Now I will be the first to admit I think Cassidy Hutchinson is a courageous woman. It takes a lot of guts to stand up against “Trump World” for what you know in your heart is not right. Although I disagree with her political stance, I will never discredit her testimony as it very eerily matches all timelines. I encourage everyone to read this book and hope more media coverage will talk about it as she speaks about the character of a few of our current congressmen & women. She explains and goes into somewhat upsetting details about how Trump and his minions tried to stop the peaceful transition of power, in order to stay in office.
My only negative reactions are It breaks my heart how naive she often was. I don’t understand how she allowed such misogynistic, disgusting comments and behavior roll on around her for so long. I understand she had a duty and job to uphold, I just wish she wouldn’t have died her hair or told Matt Gaetz herself to go kick rocks!
My only negative reactions are It breaks my heart how naive she often was. I don’t understand how she allowed such misogynistic, disgusting comments and behavior roll on around her for so long. I understand she had a duty and job to uphold, I just wish she wouldn’t have died her hair or told Matt Gaetz herself to go kick rocks!
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January 25, 2024
2.5 Stars ^ 3.0 Stars - "It was a little better than OK"
Cassidy Hutchinson and her co-writer Mark Salter, have produced a book, Enough, that was variously tedious, interesting, annoying, illuminating, and eventually, disappointing.
There is no doubt that Hutchinson was an excellent eye-witness to the events leading up to the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill. She was also very smart when she eventually made her decision to reveal to the Jan 6 Committee what she really knew about the depth of deceit, the misconduct and the nefarious activities carried out in a chaotic White House, by senior executives, including her immediate boss and ultimately the President.
Only 23 years old and ruthlessly ambitious, Hutchinson was selected by the White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, to be his 'chief of staff', in a cynical move to establish a gullible, devoted scapegoat to act as a cover for Meadow's own disgraceful shortcomings. Hutchinson was inexperienced and ill-prepared for the position, and if what she tells us is true, she was given far too much responsibility, resulting in her trying to exercise authority over senior white House staff and even a number of politicians.
Furthermore, Hutchinson appeared to be full of her own importance, to have a conceited opinion of her skills and abilities, and to be prone to blowing her own trumpet at any opportunity - or so it sounded from her own written and spoken words. These were not attributes that endeared her to this reviewer.
Only her gullibility and political naiveté can provide a rationale for her failure to acquit herself honestly during her first dealings with the January 6 Committee. When faced with little or no alternative due to not being able to obtain pro-bono legal representation, Hutchinson agreed to accept representation provided by a lawyer from "Trump World". This attorney hardly had her best interests in mind, insisting that she respond with multiple "I do not recall" types of answers in order to limit negative exposure for Trump.
In the end, Hutchinson was able to find pro-bono attorneys with help from Committee member, Republican Liz Cheney. Hutchinson was subpoenaed to appear in person before the Committee, and it was then that she finally decided to provide candid and fully truthful answers in her testimony.
I do give Hutchinson credit for eventually recognising that she needed to cross the line from the anti-democratic actions of Trump and his minions, of which she was one, and to oppose and censure him for his outrageous threat to the democratic governing of her country.
I didn't like Cassidy Hutchinson and I certainly do not think she is a hero, although I think I understand why so many reviewers applaud her loudly and support what she wrote in her book and stated in her personal, televised appearances before the January 6 Committee.
I thought a comment from one reviewer (Dan) was most pertinent: "Hutchinson became famous for having such a strong a moral compass that she had to tell the truth to the committee. But where was her moral compass before then?".
Another reviewer (Lindsay) said: "She talks too much about patriotism for someone who didn't tell the truth until she was forced to."
A further quote from Dan is interesting and rather sad: "As a political staffer, part of her job was to cater to older authority figures. It doesn't take a Ph.D. in psychology to speculate that this was an attempt to compensate for the many deficiencies she found in her father."
I have listened to at least 2,000 audiobooks over the past 24 years and I have written a number of times of my antipathy towards authors who choose to read their own work, instead of using an experienced, professional narrator. While I readily acknowledge that there are some outstanding examples of an author successfully narrating their own audiobook, more often than not the result is, for me, unsatisfactory. Cassidy Hutchinson's narration was definitely in the latter category.
I chose to listen to Enough because of my continuing interest in US politics, which started around sixty years ago. Coverage of the US by Australian newspapers and television was fairly limited, so in about 1961 I purchased a mail subscription to TIME magazine for the special price of 20 cents a copy (about A$3.50 today) per week. These days, my subscription to the New York Times is my go-to source for news and information on what is happening in the USA.
Cassidy Hutchinson and her co-writer Mark Salter, have produced a book, Enough, that was variously tedious, interesting, annoying, illuminating, and eventually, disappointing.
There is no doubt that Hutchinson was an excellent eye-witness to the events leading up to the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill. She was also very smart when she eventually made her decision to reveal to the Jan 6 Committee what she really knew about the depth of deceit, the misconduct and the nefarious activities carried out in a chaotic White House, by senior executives, including her immediate boss and ultimately the President.
Only 23 years old and ruthlessly ambitious, Hutchinson was selected by the White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, to be his 'chief of staff', in a cynical move to establish a gullible, devoted scapegoat to act as a cover for Meadow's own disgraceful shortcomings. Hutchinson was inexperienced and ill-prepared for the position, and if what she tells us is true, she was given far too much responsibility, resulting in her trying to exercise authority over senior white House staff and even a number of politicians.
Furthermore, Hutchinson appeared to be full of her own importance, to have a conceited opinion of her skills and abilities, and to be prone to blowing her own trumpet at any opportunity - or so it sounded from her own written and spoken words. These were not attributes that endeared her to this reviewer.
Only her gullibility and political naiveté can provide a rationale for her failure to acquit herself honestly during her first dealings with the January 6 Committee. When faced with little or no alternative due to not being able to obtain pro-bono legal representation, Hutchinson agreed to accept representation provided by a lawyer from "Trump World". This attorney hardly had her best interests in mind, insisting that she respond with multiple "I do not recall" types of answers in order to limit negative exposure for Trump.
In the end, Hutchinson was able to find pro-bono attorneys with help from Committee member, Republican Liz Cheney. Hutchinson was subpoenaed to appear in person before the Committee, and it was then that she finally decided to provide candid and fully truthful answers in her testimony.
I do give Hutchinson credit for eventually recognising that she needed to cross the line from the anti-democratic actions of Trump and his minions, of which she was one, and to oppose and censure him for his outrageous threat to the democratic governing of her country.
I didn't like Cassidy Hutchinson and I certainly do not think she is a hero, although I think I understand why so many reviewers applaud her loudly and support what she wrote in her book and stated in her personal, televised appearances before the January 6 Committee.
I thought a comment from one reviewer (Dan) was most pertinent: "Hutchinson became famous for having such a strong a moral compass that she had to tell the truth to the committee. But where was her moral compass before then?".
Another reviewer (Lindsay) said: "She talks too much about patriotism for someone who didn't tell the truth until she was forced to."
A further quote from Dan is interesting and rather sad: "As a political staffer, part of her job was to cater to older authority figures. It doesn't take a Ph.D. in psychology to speculate that this was an attempt to compensate for the many deficiencies she found in her father."
I have listened to at least 2,000 audiobooks over the past 24 years and I have written a number of times of my antipathy towards authors who choose to read their own work, instead of using an experienced, professional narrator. While I readily acknowledge that there are some outstanding examples of an author successfully narrating their own audiobook, more often than not the result is, for me, unsatisfactory. Cassidy Hutchinson's narration was definitely in the latter category.
I chose to listen to Enough because of my continuing interest in US politics, which started around sixty years ago. Coverage of the US by Australian newspapers and television was fairly limited, so in about 1961 I purchased a mail subscription to TIME magazine for the special price of 20 cents a copy (about A$3.50 today) per week. These days, my subscription to the New York Times is my go-to source for news and information on what is happening in the USA.
December 18, 2024
12/18/2024 addendum: And, in case you forgot: Ms. Hutchinson received numerous death threats from Trumpers for speaking the truth...
I am---perhaps unhealthily---obsessed with the events of January 6, 2021. Like many Americans, I was shocked, apalled, disgusted, and terrified by the images of Americans breaking into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. with the sole intent of disrupting and overturning the (normally) peaceful transfer of power. That the President, himself, was the one who instigated and fuelled the insurrection that day made it all the more terrifying, with frightening implications for the health of our democracy.
I tried watching the subsequent televised hearings, but, like most Americans, I had a job which prevented me from doing so. Probably for the best. I did manage to catch occasional highlights.
One of the brightest spots of the hearings was the testimony of a young woman named Cassidy Hutchinson, a Trump aide who, by virtue of the fact that she was literally in the room where a lot of shit went down, felt the need to shed light on what Trump and his sycophantic lackeys were doing (or not doing) during the entire insurrection, an event which took the lives of nine people and resulted in roughly three million dollars in property damage.
Hutchinson exhibited a poise and deportment far beyond her age and experience. (She is currently 28.) She also helped to fill in the blanks of that infamous day with accounts that were, to say the least, unflattering of the men that were her superiors and whom she called "boss" for several years. Needless to say, she was not well-liked by Trumpers and some of her former co-workers. Receiving numerous death threats, Hutchinson has had to live a life of relative solitude since then.
In her much-anticipated memoir "Enough", Hutchinson writes about a life devoted to the ideal of public service, one that she has aspired to since she was in elementary school. She also writes about how she was attracted to the conservatism of the Republican party, a party that she felt---until the Trump administration--- was home.
Like many Republicans, she ignored some of the early warning signs of Trumpism, or she simply wrote them off as "Trump being Trump". But in the weeks following November 5, 2020, she could no longer simply dismiss the dumpster fire that was the Trump White House. She began to recognize---something her colleagues wouldn't or couldn't---that Trump's actions were dangerous.
Torn between being branded disloyal by her friends and colleagues and doing what she felt in her heart was the right thing, Hutchinson thankfully chose the right thing.
"Enough" isn't just about her decision to give her testimony to the January 6 Commission, though. The book is also a subtle examination of her evolution from a timid woman who is constantly mistreated by narcissistic, sexist men (starting with her own father; being leered at by pervo Matt Gaetz; and being groped by assholes like John Boehner and Rudy Giuliani) to a woman who can finally say, "I deserve better than this".
I am---perhaps unhealthily---obsessed with the events of January 6, 2021. Like many Americans, I was shocked, apalled, disgusted, and terrified by the images of Americans breaking into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. with the sole intent of disrupting and overturning the (normally) peaceful transfer of power. That the President, himself, was the one who instigated and fuelled the insurrection that day made it all the more terrifying, with frightening implications for the health of our democracy.
I tried watching the subsequent televised hearings, but, like most Americans, I had a job which prevented me from doing so. Probably for the best. I did manage to catch occasional highlights.
One of the brightest spots of the hearings was the testimony of a young woman named Cassidy Hutchinson, a Trump aide who, by virtue of the fact that she was literally in the room where a lot of shit went down, felt the need to shed light on what Trump and his sycophantic lackeys were doing (or not doing) during the entire insurrection, an event which took the lives of nine people and resulted in roughly three million dollars in property damage.
Hutchinson exhibited a poise and deportment far beyond her age and experience. (She is currently 28.) She also helped to fill in the blanks of that infamous day with accounts that were, to say the least, unflattering of the men that were her superiors and whom she called "boss" for several years. Needless to say, she was not well-liked by Trumpers and some of her former co-workers. Receiving numerous death threats, Hutchinson has had to live a life of relative solitude since then.
In her much-anticipated memoir "Enough", Hutchinson writes about a life devoted to the ideal of public service, one that she has aspired to since she was in elementary school. She also writes about how she was attracted to the conservatism of the Republican party, a party that she felt---until the Trump administration--- was home.
Like many Republicans, she ignored some of the early warning signs of Trumpism, or she simply wrote them off as "Trump being Trump". But in the weeks following November 5, 2020, she could no longer simply dismiss the dumpster fire that was the Trump White House. She began to recognize---something her colleagues wouldn't or couldn't---that Trump's actions were dangerous.
Torn between being branded disloyal by her friends and colleagues and doing what she felt in her heart was the right thing, Hutchinson thankfully chose the right thing.
"Enough" isn't just about her decision to give her testimony to the January 6 Commission, though. The book is also a subtle examination of her evolution from a timid woman who is constantly mistreated by narcissistic, sexist men (starting with her own father; being leered at by pervo Matt Gaetz; and being groped by assholes like John Boehner and Rudy Giuliani) to a woman who can finally say, "I deserve better than this".
October 5, 2023
I have to say, I don't know what I expected with this one. Insight, perhaps? Knowing the players (well - most of them) I knew it wouldn't be a pleasant story to read. But it left me feeling quite deflated.
Ms. Hutchinson is now hailed as a hero in the United States. While I do agree that it took a lot of courage and soul-searching for her to testify on international television, I still can't shake that she was one of the 'enablers' that allowed the country to get into the predicament that it is in now. For that, I have a difficult time forgiving her.
From her recounting of her early childhood throughout her teens and into young adulthood, she labels herself a 'patriot' who loves her country and the rule of law. Yet, she was a first-hand witness to the dark under-layers of the administration that injured so many Americans. It was only when the damage was done and her back was against the wall that she experienced enough remorse to 'do the right thing.'
I think of all the lives that were lost due to false information (such as COVID protocol, etc.,) and it turns my stomach sour. Even when the new administration took over the White House it was mentioned how masking was not only requested, but required. One could just feel her disapproval of that practice from her words. Learning that TFG knew that he was sick and was too vain to do the right thing makes me angry and resentful of all of those who tiptoed around him. Allowing the tantrums and normalizing the spoiled behavior (such as when a motorcade had to be taken because the plane needed repair, and he flew into a rage) just showed me what I had suspected for the last many years - the danger the country was in due to the whims of this selfish, horrible person.
It all comes down to power at any cost. They want to rule over the ashes of the country they burned to the ground. And yes - she was a player and one of the pieces of the puzzle that felt and acted the same. She was more worried about looking 'disloyal' than doing the right thing for the time she served in the White House. It reminds me of the thief that wasn't sorry he stole; just that he got caught.
If she and her counterparts had come forward earlier, perhaps those who lost their lives on or due to January 6th, as well as those who unnecessarily died due to misinformation regarding a worldwide pandemic would not have been lost. At least many of them.
I am sorry that by reading the book it supported her in any way. I know that sounds harsh, but I feel ALL should be accountable who are responsible. These are not stupid people. They knew exactly what was happening and were part of it. "It takes a village . . . "
Ms. Hutchinson is now hailed as a hero in the United States. While I do agree that it took a lot of courage and soul-searching for her to testify on international television, I still can't shake that she was one of the 'enablers' that allowed the country to get into the predicament that it is in now. For that, I have a difficult time forgiving her.
From her recounting of her early childhood throughout her teens and into young adulthood, she labels herself a 'patriot' who loves her country and the rule of law. Yet, she was a first-hand witness to the dark under-layers of the administration that injured so many Americans. It was only when the damage was done and her back was against the wall that she experienced enough remorse to 'do the right thing.'
I think of all the lives that were lost due to false information (such as COVID protocol, etc.,) and it turns my stomach sour. Even when the new administration took over the White House it was mentioned how masking was not only requested, but required. One could just feel her disapproval of that practice from her words. Learning that TFG knew that he was sick and was too vain to do the right thing makes me angry and resentful of all of those who tiptoed around him. Allowing the tantrums and normalizing the spoiled behavior (such as when a motorcade had to be taken because the plane needed repair, and he flew into a rage) just showed me what I had suspected for the last many years - the danger the country was in due to the whims of this selfish, horrible person.
It all comes down to power at any cost. They want to rule over the ashes of the country they burned to the ground. And yes - she was a player and one of the pieces of the puzzle that felt and acted the same. She was more worried about looking 'disloyal' than doing the right thing for the time she served in the White House. It reminds me of the thief that wasn't sorry he stole; just that he got caught.
If she and her counterparts had come forward earlier, perhaps those who lost their lives on or due to January 6th, as well as those who unnecessarily died due to misinformation regarding a worldwide pandemic would not have been lost. At least many of them.
I am sorry that by reading the book it supported her in any way. I know that sounds harsh, but I feel ALL should be accountable who are responsible. These are not stupid people. They knew exactly what was happening and were part of it. "It takes a village . . . "
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2023
This is Cassidy Hutchinson's political memoir. It encompasses information about her family, education and time spent working both in Congress and the Trump White House. She came to national attention with her stunning testimony to the January 6th committee of the House of Representatives.
Reading the book gave me a better understanding of her. Cassidy was only 23 years old when she was selected by Mark Meadows (Trump's Chief of Staff) to be his assistant. She spent 5 months in the White House working for him, leading up to the end of Trump's presidency. Cassidy was a dedicated Republican who truly believed in Trump. As Meadow's assistant, Cassidy was given huge responsibilities and had access to our country's most powerful leaders. It was a heady job for such a young woman.
In an interview, Cassidy said that she tried to convey her exact feelings and thoughts towards events as they occurred at the time. It seemed to me that she was fully ensconced in Trump World (as she called it) and was fully loyal to both Meadows and Trump for a long time. Even after January 6th happened, Cassidy was still planning to work for Trump at Mar-a-Lago. How Cassidy changed her outlook is a remarkable part of the memoir.
Cassidy agonized over her testimony to the January 6th committee. She wanted to be truthful. She was inspired by Alex Butterfield - someone who held a similar job to hers fifty years ago in the Nixon administration. He had testified in the Watergate hearings and had shared information about how everything was tape recorded at the White House. Cassidy learned about Alex through reading Boob Woodward's book about him (The Last of the President's Men).
Eventually, Alex inscribed a copy of the book for Cassidy. Here is what he wrote:
Hi Cassidy -
I'm probably broaching some kind of literary protocol by signing a book I didn't write...
but for you, pretty lady, I'll take my chances. You did the right thing... and doing the right thing is the very definition of integrity. - Alex
Additional: I want to remember the people who went out of their way to help Cassidy, when others had turned away. They included Alyssa Farah Griffin, Liz Cheney and her two wonderful attorneys, Jody Hunt and Bill Jordon.
Reading the book gave me a better understanding of her. Cassidy was only 23 years old when she was selected by Mark Meadows (Trump's Chief of Staff) to be his assistant. She spent 5 months in the White House working for him, leading up to the end of Trump's presidency. Cassidy was a dedicated Republican who truly believed in Trump. As Meadow's assistant, Cassidy was given huge responsibilities and had access to our country's most powerful leaders. It was a heady job for such a young woman.
In an interview, Cassidy said that she tried to convey her exact feelings and thoughts towards events as they occurred at the time. It seemed to me that she was fully ensconced in Trump World (as she called it) and was fully loyal to both Meadows and Trump for a long time. Even after January 6th happened, Cassidy was still planning to work for Trump at Mar-a-Lago. How Cassidy changed her outlook is a remarkable part of the memoir.
Cassidy agonized over her testimony to the January 6th committee. She wanted to be truthful. She was inspired by Alex Butterfield - someone who held a similar job to hers fifty years ago in the Nixon administration. He had testified in the Watergate hearings and had shared information about how everything was tape recorded at the White House. Cassidy learned about Alex through reading Boob Woodward's book about him (The Last of the President's Men).
Eventually, Alex inscribed a copy of the book for Cassidy. Here is what he wrote:
Hi Cassidy -
I'm probably broaching some kind of literary protocol by signing a book I didn't write...
but for you, pretty lady, I'll take my chances. You did the right thing... and doing the right thing is the very definition of integrity. - Alex
Additional: I want to remember the people who went out of their way to help Cassidy, when others had turned away. They included Alyssa Farah Griffin, Liz Cheney and her two wonderful attorneys, Jody Hunt and Bill Jordon.
October 14, 2023
3.5
I'd love to hear what this young woman has to say in 20 or 30 years about her experiences. I will be curious about what she does next. As a book, this was written well enough and was interesting enough to keep me engaged (I listened to the audio, which was read by Ms. Hutchinson, which made it feel more "personal", like reading her diary or having a deep conversation over coffee).
We follow her path from idealism to disillusionment to reluctant "betrayer", as she became embroiled in events that spun in unexpected ways. It's easy to see how rubbing elbows with the powerful can be both intoxicating and dangerous to one's barely formed sense of self. It's easy to see that holding others in high regard can blind us to day-to-day truths and realities until the dominoes in our head start to topple. It's easy to see what we want to see until we no longer can because the the rats are scurrying out from all the dark corners.
I'm grateful that this young person could muster the courage to stand up to power. I'm grateful fear didn't keep her from speaking her truth. I'm grateful that others came to stand beside her, giving her the strength needed to "do the right thing" so she could live in peace with her own conscience. And I'm a little appalled that a person of 23 would be given so much proximity, power and responsibility in the political world she described at the White House. If she truly had that much sway over how things ran and what she had access to, I'm astounded. Because who among us, at age 23, is prepared for that kind of environment, those kinds of decisions and relationships? More than anything, this book made me want to investigate the role of interns in our political system, especially those serving at the highest level of our government. Not to dis on young people....I know many who are bright and capable...it's the lack of "real world" experience I wonder about, and the lack of solid personal foundation they haven't had the opportunity to develop before jumping into the deep end of shark-infested waters. Heaven help us!
I wish Ms. Hutchinson well. She's paid an undeserved price for her decisions. Time will tell how the dust will settle around her, and what she will feel drawn to in the future. I hope she ultimately feels it has been worth it, for her pivotal moment in history.
I'd love to hear what this young woman has to say in 20 or 30 years about her experiences. I will be curious about what she does next. As a book, this was written well enough and was interesting enough to keep me engaged (I listened to the audio, which was read by Ms. Hutchinson, which made it feel more "personal", like reading her diary or having a deep conversation over coffee).
We follow her path from idealism to disillusionment to reluctant "betrayer", as she became embroiled in events that spun in unexpected ways. It's easy to see how rubbing elbows with the powerful can be both intoxicating and dangerous to one's barely formed sense of self. It's easy to see that holding others in high regard can blind us to day-to-day truths and realities until the dominoes in our head start to topple. It's easy to see what we want to see until we no longer can because the the rats are scurrying out from all the dark corners.
I'm grateful that this young person could muster the courage to stand up to power. I'm grateful fear didn't keep her from speaking her truth. I'm grateful that others came to stand beside her, giving her the strength needed to "do the right thing" so she could live in peace with her own conscience. And I'm a little appalled that a person of 23 would be given so much proximity, power and responsibility in the political world she described at the White House. If she truly had that much sway over how things ran and what she had access to, I'm astounded. Because who among us, at age 23, is prepared for that kind of environment, those kinds of decisions and relationships? More than anything, this book made me want to investigate the role of interns in our political system, especially those serving at the highest level of our government. Not to dis on young people....I know many who are bright and capable...it's the lack of "real world" experience I wonder about, and the lack of solid personal foundation they haven't had the opportunity to develop before jumping into the deep end of shark-infested waters. Heaven help us!
I wish Ms. Hutchinson well. She's paid an undeserved price for her decisions. Time will tell how the dust will settle around her, and what she will feel drawn to in the future. I hope she ultimately feels it has been worth it, for her pivotal moment in history.
October 31, 2023
Not well written. Very choppy storytelling. Events, references, and people were thrown together in haphazard and confusing ways. I felt the story she told about her family, especially her relationship with her father, was the most compelling part of the book.
I was very disappointed in this book and in what it revealed to me about Cassidy Hutchinson as a worker in the White House and a witness to the corrupt and self-serving people who ran the show. I'm also disappointed about what it revealed in me. Like many, I was enthralled by her and her testimony to the January 6th Committee. I still believe she has courage, and ultimately made the right decision. I am also struck by how drastically her life changed as a result of her testimony. I'm not sure I see it as sacrifice for her country, though. Perhaps her life changed and she lost so much as payment for her silence and complicity in the face of clear incompetence, dereliction of duty, and criminal behavior on the part of the men she worked for. She believed she served the people, and swore to uphold the Constitution. Ultimately she served the men and let herself be duped into thinking she had more responsibility, authority, and importance than she actually did or ever should have. In the end she was just a 25 year old young woman from a difficult and troubled past who was raised by a man who was reckless, irresponsible and undependable. Her time at the White House put her in the company of such men once again, and she tried to save them at her own expense. She had no business being in the position she held, and she was placed there to ultimately take the fall when they needed a scapegoat. She had to become a witness to save herself, and who can blame her? Cassidy Hutchinson isn’t noble, she's not a hero. She made mistakes, took actions that helped to endanger our democracy, and did the right thing when it was in her best interest to do so.
I was very disappointed in this book and in what it revealed to me about Cassidy Hutchinson as a worker in the White House and a witness to the corrupt and self-serving people who ran the show. I'm also disappointed about what it revealed in me. Like many, I was enthralled by her and her testimony to the January 6th Committee. I still believe she has courage, and ultimately made the right decision. I am also struck by how drastically her life changed as a result of her testimony. I'm not sure I see it as sacrifice for her country, though. Perhaps her life changed and she lost so much as payment for her silence and complicity in the face of clear incompetence, dereliction of duty, and criminal behavior on the part of the men she worked for. She believed she served the people, and swore to uphold the Constitution. Ultimately she served the men and let herself be duped into thinking she had more responsibility, authority, and importance than she actually did or ever should have. In the end she was just a 25 year old young woman from a difficult and troubled past who was raised by a man who was reckless, irresponsible and undependable. Her time at the White House put her in the company of such men once again, and she tried to save them at her own expense. She had no business being in the position she held, and she was placed there to ultimately take the fall when they needed a scapegoat. She had to become a witness to save herself, and who can blame her? Cassidy Hutchinson isn’t noble, she's not a hero. She made mistakes, took actions that helped to endanger our democracy, and did the right thing when it was in her best interest to do so.
January 21, 2024
This book is both a memoir and an indictment of the former president’s administration. Two quotes stood out for me:
“an unhinged chief executive, willing to overturn the will of the people and plunge the country into chaos and violence on the advice of crazy people….for what? To avoid the embarrassment of conceding an election he knew he had lost”
“When the president I had served wholeheartedly persuaded his supporters to reject the legitimacy of a free and fair election, I knew he was leading a dangerous assault on our political ideals and governing institutions for no other purpose than to soothe his injured pride”
I felt discouraged, concerned, alarmed, and infuriated to read about the unlawful behavior and deception exhibited by high level staff, assistants and advisors. This book provides an account, given by someone who held a prominent position, of the days and months leading up to the January 6 insurrection.
I commend Ms. Hutchinson for her courage to tell the truth when many people were not courageous enough to speak up.
It’s a real eye opener and regardless of your political views, it’s a must read.
“an unhinged chief executive, willing to overturn the will of the people and plunge the country into chaos and violence on the advice of crazy people….for what? To avoid the embarrassment of conceding an election he knew he had lost”
“When the president I had served wholeheartedly persuaded his supporters to reject the legitimacy of a free and fair election, I knew he was leading a dangerous assault on our political ideals and governing institutions for no other purpose than to soothe his injured pride”
I felt discouraged, concerned, alarmed, and infuriated to read about the unlawful behavior and deception exhibited by high level staff, assistants and advisors. This book provides an account, given by someone who held a prominent position, of the days and months leading up to the January 6 insurrection.
I commend Ms. Hutchinson for her courage to tell the truth when many people were not courageous enough to speak up.
It’s a real eye opener and regardless of your political views, it’s a must read.
October 10, 2023
2 1/2 stars. Earnestly written account of a naive and gullible young woman's experience as an assistant to President Trump. She has the demeanor of an eager grade school student trying to please her teacher. Even so, I have no doubt she meant to do right by her actions supporting him almost to the end. And she eventually redeems herself, finally, with actually being truthful with herself and the country. But one wonders how she could have had such visual and mental blinders on for so long. Indeed, it seems that had it not been for the January 6th insurrection, she'd still support him. But, hadn't she had at least a little curiosity to explore why Trump had been accused of such of variety of improprieties for so many years? They were all out there in the public domain for her to see. That is the real mystery to me.
October 10, 2023
Although there are some interesting information and stories in this book it is tiresome listening to someone who helped facilitate Trumps worst action, did nothing about it but now is saving America with her testimony.
Where was she during the four years of constant unethical and despicable behaviour by Trump? She was helping facilities behaviour.
If she (and others) had called out truth earlier my w January 6 might not have happened. I hope she doesn’t feel her testimony make up for all the facilitating and support she gave trump .
Where was she during the four years of constant unethical and despicable behaviour by Trump? She was helping facilities behaviour.
If she (and others) had called out truth earlier my w January 6 might not have happened. I hope she doesn’t feel her testimony make up for all the facilitating and support she gave trump .
October 25, 2023
I felt so many different emotions reading this book. Hate, disgust, sad, confusion, proud, and intrigued. I have to say, if you have any animal and/or pet triggers, avoid Part One. Seriously. To say I think Cassidy's bio dad is a POS is putting it lightly.
Second, the amateur therapist in me wonders if the relationship with her dad is why she is so drawn to powerful, manipulative, and controlling men - as are some that she worked with.
Third, the girl is brave without a doubt. To speak the truth in front of millions, the J6 Committee, on TV, knowing damn well she'd be putting her life at risk BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. is beyond impressive.
She comes across as naive (but so was I at that age) and it's amazing how much power she had so early in her career. I'm sorry for the lecherous crap she had to deal with from some of the men as well. Should not still be happening in this day and age.
If nothing else, I greatly admire her for putting country (and the Constitution) before party. Something all of us should be doing (in my opinion).
Second, the amateur therapist in me wonders if the relationship with her dad is why she is so drawn to powerful, manipulative, and controlling men - as are some that she worked with.
Third, the girl is brave without a doubt. To speak the truth in front of millions, the J6 Committee, on TV, knowing damn well she'd be putting her life at risk BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. is beyond impressive.
She comes across as naive (but so was I at that age) and it's amazing how much power she had so early in her career. I'm sorry for the lecherous crap she had to deal with from some of the men as well. Should not still be happening in this day and age.
If nothing else, I greatly admire her for putting country (and the Constitution) before party. Something all of us should be doing (in my opinion).
September 27, 2023
I anticipated reading this over at least a week, but couldn’t sleep last night, so read all night!
What a read, and what an inspirational young woman. It’s heartbreaking to see what she went through, but in the same breath fascinating and insightful to see the way she came through with such character and strength of conviction.
I’m not an American, but have been fascinated by the way politics have played out over the past decade. This will be yet another resource for historians to pour over in future, and gain insight into the chaos the GOP appears to be cascading into.
Thoroughly recommend this as a read for anyone looking to vote in 2024 and for any young women making their way in corporate or government careers today.
What a read, and what an inspirational young woman. It’s heartbreaking to see what she went through, but in the same breath fascinating and insightful to see the way she came through with such character and strength of conviction.
I’m not an American, but have been fascinated by the way politics have played out over the past decade. This will be yet another resource for historians to pour over in future, and gain insight into the chaos the GOP appears to be cascading into.
Thoroughly recommend this as a read for anyone looking to vote in 2024 and for any young women making their way in corporate or government careers today.
September 28, 2023
I have many differences of opinions about politics and society from those held by someone willing to work for Trump. But Ms. Hutchinson has had enough integrity to tell the truth and put country first. It requires more bravery than was offered by majority of those working around her in the White House. Doing the right thing doesn’t make you a hero but it is deserving of our thanks. Like Liz Cheney, she put country before party, and at no small personal cost.
November 6, 2023
She talks too much about patriotism for someone who didn't tell the truth until she was forced to.
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