Key moments from Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony
Today’s hearing of the select committee of the House investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is the first since late June.
The last hearing on June 28 featured the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, the aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
These are the key moments of his testimony:
Hutchinson was “scared” by the Jan. 6 plans
Hutchinson said she was “scared” by the White House’s plans for Jan. 6.
After a January 2 meeting between Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani told Hutchinson that day 6 “would be a great day,” he declared.
“Let’s go to the Capitol, it will be great,” Giuliani told him, adding that then-President Donald Trump would go there with members of Congress and “look powerful.”
Meadows later told him that “things could get really bad, really bad on January 6.”
“That night was the first time I remember feeling scared and nervous about what might happen on January 6,” he told the Committee.
Trump was aware that attendees had guns
Hutchinson said the White House was aware that members of far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers will attend Trump’s January 6 rally.
“I remember hearing the word Oath Keeper and Proud Boys closer to the January 6 rally planning when [Rudy] Giuliani would be around, ”Hutchinson said.
Metro and Capitol police reported that people at the rally had a lot of weapons, including firearms. He said Meadows and Trump were not worried about these people coming through magnetometers with guns.
Hutchinson said he heard the president asking him to “let my people in” while “they marched to the Capitol once the demonstration was over.” Trump wanted attendees at the official rally space and encouraged them to walk to the Capitol.
He also wanted the secret service to remove the magnetometers.
Hutchinson said Trump said, “I don’t care if they have guns. They’re not here to hurt me. Take out the f’ing magazines … then they can march to the Capitol.”
Trump involved in a physical altercation in the limousine
Former President Donald Trump was involved in a physical altercation in the presidential limousine after learning he would not be taken to the Capitol on Jan. 6, Hutchinson said.
Trump was “angry” to learn that he was being taken to the White House instead of the Capitol, after delivering his speech.
Tony Ornato, the deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service’s Training Office, told Hutchinson that Trump “said something to the effect of, ‘I’m the effing president. Take me to the Capitol now.'”
When Trump’s security detail was denied, Trump allegedly “raised his hand to the front of the vehicle to grab the steering wheel,” Hutchinson said.
Trump then “used his free hand to pounce on Bobby Engel,” the head of Trump’s security detail.
Tuesday’s hearing revealed that Trump and his allies consciously pushed for a false plan to cancel the election and were unable to prevent and stop the violence at the Capitol.
4️⃣ minute summary of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/xa3LPYXlAA
– Commission of January 6 (@ January6thCmte) July 3, 2022
The White House attorney warned against Trump’s visit to the Capitol
The former White House attorney warned Trump about the legal consequences of going to the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, ‘Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol. We will be charged with every crime imaginable if we make this visit, ”he said.
Hutchinson also said Cipollone was concerned that a visit to the Capitol that Trump day “would seem to obstruct justice or obstruct the Electoral College count” and “incite or encourage a riot.”
Cipollone urged Meadows to take steps to prevent people from storming the Capitol.
Hutchinson said Cipollone told Meadows that if he did nothing, people would die and “he will have blood on his hands.”
When Cipollone said the mutineers sang “hang Mike Pence,” Meadows said Trump believed Pence “deserved it” and that the mutineers were not doing anything wrong.
“As an American, I was disgusted,” Hutchinson said of that moment. “He was unpatriotic. He wasn’t American. We were watching the Capitol building be disfigured by a lie.”
Trump’s allies apologized
Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows expressed interest in receiving presidential pardons related to the events that took place on January 6, 2021, Cassidy Hutchinson said Tuesday.
Hutchinson said Trump had wanted to include language in the statement about the possible granting of presidential pardons to the mutineers.
“I understand that Mr. Meadows was also encouraging that language,” he said.
When asked by committee co-chair Liz Cheney, Hutchinson said both Giuliani and Meadows apologized to Trump.
The Trump cabinet discussed the 25th Amendment
Senior Trump administration officials had talks about invoking the 25th Amendment after the Jan. 6 incident, Hutchinson said.
After the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, there were discussions among Trump’s cabinet about “extracting all the power from Donald Trump’s presidency,” said Committee Vice President Liz Cheney.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contacted former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to inform him of the talks he was hearing about the 25th Amendment.
Pompeo told Meadows that “if the talks move forward, you should be prepared to take action on that,” adding that he was “concerned” about him and his position, Hutchinson said.
Some witnesses report intimidation
During his final statement, Cheney said the committee received reports of manipulation of testimonies from people close to Trump.
A witness, whom Cheney did not identify, said they were told, “As long as I’m still a team player, they know I’m on the team, I’m doing the right thing, I’m protecting who I am. I need to protect , you know, I’m going to stay in Trump World with good grace. “
This witness added that the person who had spoken to them “reminded me a couple of times that Trump reads transcripts and just to keep that in mind as he moved forward with my statements and interviews with the committee.”
Another witness told the committee that they had received a phone call before their testimony, during which the person at the other end of the line said, “[A person] let me know you have your statement tomorrow. He wants me to let you know he’s thinking of you. He knows that you are loyal and that you will do the right thing when you enter your deposition. “
“I think most Americans know that trying to influence witnesses because they testify falsely presents very serious concerns,” Cheney said.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified during the sixth hearing by the Selective Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 28, 2022 in the Cannon House office building in Washington. , DC. Andrew Harnik-Pool / Getty Images