US Secret Service has offered the agency’s cooperation with a House select committee investigating the the attack on the US Capitol after testimony from a former White House aide alleged that she heard that Donald Trump lunged at a driver inside a presidential car and demanded that he be taken to the Capitol.
On 28 June, the House select committee investigating the events surrounding the pro-Trump mob’s assault heard from Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
In her testimony, she alleged that Tony Ornato, then-White House deputy chief of staff, relayed to her that Secret Service agent Robert Engel repeatedly told Mr Trump on their way back to the White House following his rally speech that it was not safe to go to the Capitol.
The former president then allegedly told him “I’m the f***ing president” and “take me up to the Capitol now” while reaching for the steering wheel. Mr Engel then allegedly grabbed his arm, and Mr Trump used his other hand to reach towards his neck, according to Ms Hutchinson, who also served as a special assistant to the president.
“The United States Secret Service has been cooperating with the Select Committee since its inception in spring 2021, and will continue to do so, including by responding on the record to the Committee regarding the new allegations surfaced in today’s testimony,” according to a statement from the US Secret Service.
NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander also reports that “a source close to the Secret Service” told him that Mr Engel is prepared to testify that Mr Engel and the driver that day are prepared to testify that neither man was assaulted.
Both Mr Engel and Mr Ornato were interviewed by the committee months ago. Their statements were not used in Tuesday’s hearing.
On his Truth Social account, Mr Trump has denied the allegations, calling Ms Hutchinson’s testimony “sick” and “fraudulent.”
“Wouldn’t even have been possible to do such a ridiculous thing,” he wrote.
Mr Trump’s allies have sought to undermine Ms Hutchinson’s testimony by circulating a diagram of a souped-up presidential SUV limousine (often known as “the beast”) to prove that Mr Trump could not have lunged towards the driver. However, Mr Trump was sitting in the rear passenger seat of a different presidential SUV that day, according to images and video from Mr Trump’s departure to the White House on 6 January provided by the committee.
A statement from attorneys for Ms Hutchinson said she is “justifiably proud of her service to the country.”
“While she did not seek out the attention accompanying her testimony today, she believes that it was her duty and responsibility to provide the committee with her truthful and candid observations of the events surrounding January 6,” according to the statement. “Ms Hutchinson believes that January 6 was a horrific day for the country, and it is vital to the future of our democracy that it not be repeated.”
