Hagerty staffer's departure not tied to Jan. 6 testimony

The day after Judd Deere announced his resignation from Sen. Bill Hagerty's office, snippets of his testimony to the Jan. 6 congressional committee were released to the public.

Between the lines: Before working in Hagerty's office, Deere was a deputy press secretary for former President Trump.

Driving the news: Deere was one of several former Trump staffers whose testimony was published during a committee hearing on Tuesday.

• "I told [Trump in December 2020] that my personal viewpoint was the Electoral College had met, which is the system that our country is set under to elect a president and vice president, and I believed at that point that the means for him to pursue litigation was probably closed," Deer told the Jan. 6 committee.
• He added that Trump "disagreed" with that assessment.

What they're saying: Deere tells Axios the timing of his resignation is a coincidence. He says he didn't get an advance notice that portions of his video deposition, which took place in the spring, would be published.

• "There's no connection to my resignation from the senator's office to the activities of the Jan. 6 committee," Deere says.

Hagerty heaped praise on Deere in response to a question about the timing of his resignation.

• "Judd was an outstanding employee and is an even better person and friend. He is highly-respected by all who know him, and I'm extraordinarily grateful that he served as a member of my Senate staff."