THE PROBLEM ARISES WHEN THEY WON'T STAY BOUGHT:

The moves by Trump's political organization to open his substantial post-presidency war chest to witnesses involved in the January 6 probe have raised questions about the former President's ability to influence testimony as the panel delves into his conduct.

CNN has previously reported that Trump's team also has been involved in discussions about a legal defense fund, created by the nonprofit arm of the American Conservative Union, to support aides targeted by the House panel. ACU chairman Matt Schlapp said he has worked with the former President's aides to determine which individuals subpoenaed by the select committee should receive help from the fund.

"We talked about the hundreds of millions of dollars that the former President raised," California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat who sits on the committee, told CNN recently. "Some of that money is being used to pay for lawyers for witnesses. And it's not clear that that arrangement is one that is without coercion potential for some of those witnesses."

Some January 6 committee members have singled out the legal representation of Hutchinson, a former White House aide who changed lawyers in early June. After the switch, Hutchinson ramped up her cooperation with the panel and delivered bombshell testimony about the former President's conduct on January 6 at an in-person hearing.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the committee, called Hutchinson "an important example of one who decided to get a new lawyer and then to come back and to testify."

"If there are witnesses out there who believe that their lawyer is working cross-purposes with their obligation to tell the truth, they should work to rectify it," the Maryland Democrat told CNN's Jake Tapper.

Tweet   @brothersjudd