‘I’m the effing president’: White House aide describes Trump’s anger at Secret Service on January 6th
Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel from a US Secret Service agent when told he would not be taken to the US Capitol during the riots, a former White House aide told the January 6th hearing.
Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as a top aide to Mr Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, appeared in a live hearing by the committee investigating the Capitol riots on Tuesday.
Ms Hutchinson, 25, told the panel Mr Trump was angered after being told he would not be taken to the Capitol and quoted Mr Trump saying: “I’m the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.”
She testified that a Secret Service agent had to physically restrain Mr Trump who, sitting in the back seat, used his free hand to lunge toward the neck of Secret Service agent Robert Engel.
Thousands of Trump supporters stormed Congress on 6 January 2021 in a bid to thwart Joe Biden’s election victory, smashing windows and sending lawmakers flee for their lives.
Four people died the day of the attack, more than 100 police officers were injured and one died the next day.
Four officers later died by suicide.
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‘Things might get real, real bad’
Ms Hutchinson also told the panel she was “scared, and nervous for what could happen” ahead of the riot after conversations with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Mr Meadows and others.
She said she was apprehensive because she had heard plans for a rally and possible movements to the Capitol.
The former aide sat doors away from Trump’s Oval Office and testified that just days before the attack on the Capitol, Mr Meadows knew of the looming violence that could unfold.
Mr Meadows told Ms Hutchinson that “things might get real real bad,” she said.
She said that Mr Giuliani told her it was going to be “a great day” and “we’re going to the Capitol.”
She added: “It was the first moment that I remembered feeling scared and nervous of what could happen on Jan 6.”
Trump didn’t care rally attendees were armed
Ms Hutchinson also testified that Mr Trump did not care that supporters at the January 6 rally preceding the riot were armed with weapons including AR-15-style rifles.
She said the then-president was angry that the Secret Service, which is charged with protecting the president, was using magnetometers to keep armed people out of the fenced-off area where he gave his speech.
The former White House aide said: “I overheard the president say something to the effect of ‘I don’t f****** care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take the f******-ing mags away. Let my people in, they can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in, take the f****** mags away.”
Trump threw lunch at wall after Bill Barr interview
According to video testimony shown by the committee from Kayleigh McEnany, Mr Trump’s White House press secretary at the time, the former President was so enraged by an interview with the then-Attorney General Bill Barr, he threw his lunch at the wall leaving ketchup dripping down it.
Mr Barr had told the Associated Press there was no evidence of election fraud.
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Ms Hutchinson told the committee that there were “several times” where she was aware of him “either throwing dishes or flipping the tablecloth to let all the contents of the table go onto the floor”.
Earlier hearings from the committee have focused on different aspects of the riot, including Mr Trump’s efforts to pressure the Justice Department to upend the 2020 election results.
Mr Trump has consistently dismissed the ‘January 6th Committee’ as a Democratic Party witch-hunt despite most of the witnesses being Republican Party members.
