Trump threw lunch against the wall over Barr interview, Hutchinson says
Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified on Tuesday that former President Trump was so upset that then-Attorney General William Barr dismissed claims of widespread election fraud that he threw his lunch at the wall in the West Wing dining room.
Hutchinson recalled hearing noise from down the hall shortly after Barr’s interview with the Associated Press went live in which Barr said he had not seen evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, despite Trump’s claims to the contrary.
“I first noticed there was ketchup dripping down the wall, and there was a shattered porcelain plate,” Hutchinson testified to the House panel.
“The valet had articulated that the president was extremely angry at the attorney general’s AP interview and had thrown his lunch against the wall, which was causing them to have to clean up. “So I grabbed a towel and started wiping the ketchup off the wall to help the valet out.”
Hutchinson said it was not the only time she’d heard of Trump losing his temper. She said there were “several times throughout my tenure with the chief of staff that I was aware of him either throwing dishes or flipping the table cloth.”
Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified on Tuesday that former President Trump was so upset that then-Attorney General William Barr dismissed claims of widespread election fraud …
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Trump lunged at security detail, steering wheel to get to Capitol on Jan. 6, aide says
Former President
Trump lunged at his own security detail and at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle when he was told he could not go to the Capitol to join his supporters on Jan. 6, a former top aide testified Tuesday.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, told the Jan. 6 committee investigating the riot at the Capitol that Trump had been pushing to go to the Capitol after giving a speech on the Ellipse on Jan. 6.
Hutchinson told the committee that then-deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato told her that Trump was “irate” when Robert Engel, the special agent in charge for Secret Service on Jan. 6, told Trump when he got into the presidential limo that going to the Capitol would not be possible.
“The president had a very strong, a very angry response to that,” Hutchinson testified. “Tony described him as being irate. The president said something to the effect of, ‘I’m the fucking president, take me up to the Capitol now.’”
“[Engel] said, ‘Sir we have to go back to the West Wing,’” Hutchinson continued. “The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, ‘Sir you need to take your hand off the steering wheel, we’re going back to the West Wing we’re not going to the Capitol.
“Trump then used free hand to lunge at Bobby Engel,” Hutchinson testified.
Hutchinson told the committee neither Engel nor Ornato disputed the description of what had happened.
Trump ultimately did not go to the Capitol with supporters, who went on to breach the building and delay the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Multiple people were killed in the ensuing chaos.
Former President Trump lunged at his own security detail and at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle when he was told he could not go to the Capitol to join his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021…
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Hutchinson says Trump knew Jan. 6 attendees had weapons: ‘They’re not here to hurt me’
Ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday testified that former President Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows were both told attendees at the Jan. 6, 2021, Ellipse rally had weapons and that Trump was frustrated that security measures were keeping those with weapons from joining the rally crowd.
Hutchinson, a former top aide to Meadows, told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that Trump was “furious” that the Ellipse near the White House had not filled up to capacity for a rally on the morning of the Electoral College certification.
“I was in the vicinity of a conversation where 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—— mags away,’” Hutchinson testified.
Hutchinson was referring to the magnetometers used by Secret Service to scan for weapons.
Her deposition about Trump’s frustration and calls to overrule Secret Service was prefaced with testimony that former deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato had informed both Meadows and Trump that some of the attendees at the rally on Jan. 6 were carrying weapons.
Hutchinson said Meadows did not look up from his phone as he was informed about the security situation at the rally.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chair of House Jan. 6 committee, also introduced audio of radio transmissions from law enforcement ahead of the rally at the Ellipse. Officers can be heard relaying reports of attendees carrying AR-15 rifles and Glock pistols. The committee learned some attendees had brass knuckles, knives, stun guns and other weapons confiscated after passing through the magnetometers.
“President Trump was aware that a number of the individuals in the crowd had weapons and were wearing body armor. And here’s what President Trump instructed the crowd to do,” Cheney said, prefacing a clip of Trump telling the crowd on Jan. 6, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol.”
Ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday testified that former President Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows were both told attendees at the Jan. 6, 2021, Ellipse rally had we…
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