- Mariana Sanches – mariana_sanches
- From BBC News Brazil in Washington
attributed to him, Getty Images
Former White House Counsel Cassidy Hutchinson Testifying Before Congress About the Invasion of the Capitol
Donald Trump knew his supporters were armed when, in a speech, he urged them to march to the US Congress on January 6, 2021, in the episode that ended with the Capitol invasion and five dead.
And the then-president, at the end of his rally, was not intending to return to the White House, but rather to join the congressional protesters. For this, he even tried to take the wheel of the car that was driving him back to the presidential residence.
These are the key statements of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, whose testimony before the congressional committee investigating the January 6 incident was released Tuesday, 6/28.
According to Hutchinson, both Trump and his closest aides were aware of the violent potential of that demonstration scheduled to take place in the US capital, as Trump intended to repeat his accusations – without evidence – that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged and that he, Democrat Joe Biden, would be the real president-elect. for the country.
On the same day, January 6, 2021, in a solemn ritual enshrined in the United States Constitution, Congress, under then-Vice President Mike Pence, was meeting to certify Biden’s electoral victory.
According to Hutchinson, Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told her that the event was intended to make Trump “look strong.”
Presidential Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, when asked by his aide what might happen on January 6, said, “There’s a lot going on, Cass. But, I don’t know, things can really go wrong on January 6,” the former counselor testified.
attributed to him, Getty Images
Trump reportedly tried to take the wheel and head to Capitol Hill to join the protesters who stormed the US Capitol.
According to her account, Trump was aware that the protesters were armed and gave explicit orders not to stop them because of it.
“The president seemed to want everyone involved in the formal space (to gather) and said over and over again, ‘They’re not here to hurt me.’ (..) He was told again in that conversation that there were weapons. And his response was to say they could walk into the Capitol: Take the metal detectors away, they (the protesters) are not here to hurt me. Let them in, let my people in. After the rally is over, they can walk to the Capitol. Counselor says.
Assault on a Secret Service Agent
According to Hutchinson, Trump himself had intended to join the crowd marching to Capitol Hill after the end of his speech. Faced with the Secret Service’s refusal, he would grab the steering wheel to push it in another direction.
(The intelligence agent) said to him (Trump), ‘We’re not going (to the Capitol), it’s not safe, we’re going back to the West Wing (of the White House).’ He reacted very strong and angry. Tony (another aide) described him as angry. ( Trump reportedly said) “I’m the president’s boss, take me to the Capitol now.” To that Bobby Engel (another agent) replied, “Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing. His hand. We’re on our way to the West Wing. Capitol. Then Trump used his hand.” Free to lunge toward Bobby Engel, squeezing his hand toward his collarbone.”
attributed to him, Getty Images
Trump knew his supporters were armed and would march on Capitol Hill.
Hutchinson’s testimony is an essential piece that the parliamentary inquiry has been missing so far: a first-hand account of how January 6 played out inside the White House. The commission is trying to establish Trump’s responsibility for the events. Public sessions have managed to capture the attention of at least half of the American public, according to polls.
Hutchinson was the chief aide to Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, with whom I spoke daily. She sat a few feet from the Oval Office and was the President’s main interlocutor with Congress.
In response to Hutchinson’s testimony, Trump attempted to dismiss the former aid in a post on his social media, saying he barely knew her and had fired her.
“I hardly know who this character Cassidy Hutchinson is, except that I’ve heard very negative things about her (totally incorrect and ‘leaked’), and when I asked to go with a few others on the team to Florida after a while I personally declined her request completely. Why She wanted to go with us if she thought we were too terrible? I understand she was very upset and harassed because I didn’t want her to be on the team,” Trump wrote.
At the end of Tuesday’s hearing, Republican Representative Liz Cheney, a committee member, said lawmakers had gathered what they saw as evidence of “witness intimidation” by Trump.
The committee then issued letters from the former president’s interlocutors to people who would be giving affidavits to the committee to say that Trump was “thinking about” the matter, knew the agent was “loyal” and that he would “read transcripts” from the novels. Intimidating witnesses is a crime.
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