The Jan. 6 committee appears to lack “direct evidence” to support or refute testimony about a wild presidential SUV ride on the day of the Capitol riot.
A new report adds a new wrinkle to the fallout after Cassidy Hutchinson, a onetime aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified to the panel on Tuesday that she heard former President Donald Trump grabbed at the steering wheel and used his free hand to “lunge” at the neck of his head of security when told on Jan. 6 after his speech on the Ellipse that they could not head to the Capitol.
SECRET SERVICE WASN’T CONTACTED BY JAN. 6 COMMITTEE BEFORE HUTCHINSON TESTIMONY
“One person familiar with direct knowledge of the committee’s work said the committee did not have direct evidence to corroborate or repudiate Hutchinson’s testimony, and some people involved in the committee’s work said they hoped more evidence would emerge to substantiate her claims,” said a Washington Post report on Wednesday.
Hutchinson said Anthony “Tony” Ornato, then the White House’s deputy chief of staff for operations, recounted this tale to her. Robert “Bobby” Engel, who was head of Trump’s security detail, was in the room when she heard the story and did not dispute any of it, she also testified.
However, since that hearing, Hutchinson’s testimony has come under increasing scrutiny. In particular, both Engel and Ornato are prepared to testify that Trump did not go for Engel’s throat or attempt to seize the wheel, according to CNN. Engel and Ornato previously spoke to the House select committee, NBC News reported.
Trump reacted on Truth Social, calling it a “fake story,” and the Secret Service put out a statement saying it has “been cooperating fully with the select committee since its inception in spring of 2021 and we will continue to do so by responding formally and on the record to the committee regarding new allegations that surfaced in today’s testimony.”
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An aide for the Jan. 6 committee told a Washington Post reporter that the panel “found Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony to be credible. The committee welcomes anyone who wishes to provide additional information under oath.” And Hutchinson has so far stood by her testimony. “Ms. Hutchinson stands by all of the testimony she provided yesterday, under oath, to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” reads a statement written by her attorneys, Jody Hunt and William Jordan.
The Jan. 6 committee revealed it sent a subpoena to former White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Wednesday after Hutchinson testified before the committee that Cipollone told her there were “serious legal concerns” if Trump went to the Capitol after he delivered the speech on the Ellipse the day of the riot, which disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
