Independent
An “irate” Donald Trump grabbed the steering wheel of his limousine and attacked a Secret Service agent when he was told he was not being taken to the US Capitol, the January 6 committee has been told in its most stunning hearing yet.
In cool, measured tones, that were in stark contrast to the incidents she was describing, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said she was told Mr Trump wanted to go to the Capitol so badly he attempted to grab the steering wheel of “The Beast” after being told he was going back to the White House instead.
He also grabbed at the “clavicle” of a Secret Service agent, Ms Hutchinson testified.
Tony Ornato, then-White House deputy chief of staff, told Ms Hutchinson that Robert Engel, the Secret Service agent in charge on January 6 2021, had repeatedly told Mr Trump on their way back to the White House after his rally speech that it was not safe to go to the Capitol.
According to Ms Hutchinson, Mr Ornato recounted Mr Trump screaming: “I’m the f***ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.”
The agent had to physically restrain Mr Trump, who was sitting in the back seat and used his free hand to lunge toward the neck of the Secret Service agent, Mr Engel, Ms Hutchinson testified.
“Mr Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward Bobby Engel,” she added.
Ms Hutchinson, whose desk was located just yards away from the Oval Office, admitted she did not see the epsiodes with the Secret Service agent herself. But as executive assistant to ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows, she was in a place where she easily able to be know what people around the president was talking about.
“Tony proceeded to tell me that when the president got in the ‘Beast’ he was under the impression from Mr Meadows that the off-the-record movement to the Capitol was still possible and likely to happen, but that Bobby had more information,” she said on Tuesday…
