After Cassidy Hutchinson’s Tuesday testimony regarding former President Trump’s actions in relation to Jan. 6, 2021, the U.S. Secret Service will be able to offer more information to the Jan. 6 House Select Committee. She told the committee that Trump wanted to visit the Capitol with his supporters, in an announcement made at the last moment. This was while Congress was counting electoral ballots.
“The United States Secret Service has cooperated with the Select Committee from its inception in spring 2020, and will continue doing so, including responding on record to the Committee regarding today’s testimony,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi stated in a statement to CBS News.
Hutchinson told the committee she talked with Tony Ornato, White House deputy chief-of-staff for operations, in a room with Robert Engel (the Secret Service special agent in command on Jan. 6). Hutchinson claims that Ornato told the president that he became angry in his car when he was told he couldn’t go to the Capitol. Hutchinson stated that Ornato said something along the lines of “I’m f***ing the president, take me to the Capitol now.”
Trump was informed that he must return to the West Wing. Engel reached for Engel’s arm to grab the steering wheel. Hutchinson claimed Ornato told Engel.
She said that Engel then lunged at the president with his free hand, and Ornato “motioned towards” his clavicles when describing what happened. Hutchinson stated that Engel didn’t correct or disagree with anything Ornato said.
CBS News was informed by a source within the Secret Service that Engel and the driver were willing to testify that Trump never physically assaulted or attacked them and that Trump did not reach for the steering wheel.
Officials of the Secret Service do not dispute Trump’s anger or his demand to be taken to Capitol in the language Hutchinson used to refer to the committee.
Since spring 2021, the Secret Service has provided testimony in excess of a hundred hours to the Jan.6 committee.
Source close to the agency claims that Engel and Ornato have both appeared before the committee in closed-doors and on the record, at the request of the committee. These sessions were taped, but they weren’t used for Tuesday’s hearing.
