Jan 6 hearing – live: Secret Service exploring ‘new allegations’ Trump attacked officer in limo – The Independent

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Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’s top aide Cassidy Hutchinson has testified before the committee investigating the 6 January attacks at the Capitol.

She told the committee that the president said, “I don’t f***ing care that they have weapons,” when he was warned his supporters were heavily armed in the moments before he encouraged them to march on the Capitol.

Once the president finished speaking to throngs of supporters on January 6, he was reportedly “irate” his security staff didn’t want him to make an unplanned visit to the Capitol, so much so that he tried to grab the wheel of the presidential limousine and allegedly attacked a Secret Service agent.

Eventually, according to Ms Hutchinson’s testimony, as rioters breached the Capitol, the president nonchalantly said vice-president Mike Pence “deserves” to have extremists chanting that he should be hung for refusing to overturn the 2020 election.

The former president attacked the testimony, claiming he barely knew the “sick” Ms Hutchinson.

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Donald Trump is definitely using Truth Social now…

Donald Trump strangely took days before he made his first posts on Truth Social, his pet social media app.

He’s certainly on the site now, using it to unload on witnesses who testify before the January 6 committee.

Trump rages at Cassidy Hutchinson after damning testimony to Jan 6 committee

Cassidy Hutchinson testified that former president said an armed mob is ‘not here to hurt me’

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Cheney shares article arguing case for prosecuting Trump is getting stronger

Republican representative Liz Cheney, a member of the House select committee investigating the last year’s 6 January attack at the Capitol, retweeted an article that argued that the case to prosecute the former president is getting stronger after the bombshell hearing.

The article, titled “The Case for Prosecuting Donald Trump Just Got Much Stronger” from The Dispatch by David French concluded that Mr Trump may not face criminal charges for his actions but the latest testimonies have helped link the former president to violent actions in the run up to Capitol riots.

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Even for Trump, this is a pretty wild story

In cool, measured tones, that were in stark contrast to the incidents she was describing, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said she was told Mr Trump wanted to go to the Capitol so badly he attempted to grab the steering wheel of “The Beast” after being told he was going back to the White House instead.

He also grabbed at the “clavicle” of a Secert Serice agent, Ms Hutchinson testified.

Tony Ornato, then-White House deputy chief of staff, told Ms Hutchinson that Robert Engel, the Secret Service agent in charge on January 6 2021, had repeatedly told Mr Trump on their way back to the White House after his rally speech that it was not safe to go to the Capitol.

Andrew Buncombe has the details.

Trump ‘tried to grab steering wheel when wasn’t being taken to Capitol’

‘I’m the f***ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.’

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Watch moment when aide says Trump ‘threw his lunch against wall’

In one of the gripping scenes Cassidy Hutchinson recalled, she Mr Trump threw his lunch — including the plate it had been served on — against the wall of his private dining room. It left behind a smear of ketchup on the wall.

She said it was in reaction to former attorney general William Barr’s declaration that the presidential election had not been tainted by fraud.

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The Trump pardon wish list got even longer today

They’re the latest in an ever-growing list of Trump inner circle members who sought pardons related to the Capitol riots.

Here’s Gustaf Kilander’s story.

Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani requested pardons after January 6, witness says

‘I remember thinking in that moment that Mark needs to snap out of this … He needs to care’

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Is Donald Trump trying to tamper with January 6 testimony? It sure seems like someone is.

The January 6 committee is alarmed that Donald Trump or his allies may be attempting to tamper with the testimony of witnesses participating in the congressional inquiry.

“Most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns,” committee vice chairwoman Liz Cheney said on Tuesday.

The committee shared anonymous testimony on Tuesday from January 6 witnesses detailing mob-style threats from unnamed people inside the Trump camp.

“What they said to me is, as long as I continue to be a team player, they know that I’m on the team, I’m doing the right thing, I’m protecting who I need to protect, you know, I’ll continue to stay in good graces in Trump World,” the witness told legislators.

Read our full report on this new dimension to the January 6 hearings.

January 6 committee worried Trump allies are trying to tamper with witness testimony

Witnesses detailed mob-like threats from Trump allies

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Aide’s explosive testimony that Trump knew of weapons could bolster civil suits

A lawyer, who is pressing a lawsuit against Donald Trump and others on behalf of 10 Democratic lawmakers said the damming testimony yesterday could give a major boost to the civil lawsuits against the former president.

“The testimony that came today I think was very powerful confirmation that Trump knew and expected the crowd that was assembled was going to engage in violent action directed at the Capitol with the intention of interfering with the ability to ratify the results of the election,” Joseph Sellers said.

He said the claims that Mr Trump was aware of weapons in the crowd were “highly relevant” to the civil suits and could make him liable for his intention of using violence and threats to force members of Congress to overturn the election.

“This evidence goes a good deal towards confirming that that was the purpose of Trump’s actions,” he added.

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John Eastman dismisses bid to block phone records from Jan 6 committee

John Eastman, a lawyer linked to Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse the result of the 2020 election, has voluntarily dropped a lawsuit aimed to block the 6 January committee from obtaining his phone records.

In a filing on late Tuesday, Mr Eastman dropped the suit, saying that he has been assured by the committee that it was only to seek his call logs and not the content of the messages.

The House select committee has long said that it does not have the authority to obtain the content of the messages.

It came as he claimed the FBI stopped him outside a restaurant and seized his phone. And a new video appears to show the moment the incident occurred.

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ICYMI: Cassidy Hutchinson: Who is ex-Meadows aide testifying before January 6 committee?

Instead, it was Cassidy Hutchinson, who ended the Trump administration as a special assistant to the president assigned as then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ assistant.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s look at the surprising star witness.

Who is Cassidy Hutchinson, the ex-Meadows aide testifying before Jan 6 committee?

Ms Hutchinson is set to testify before the House January 6 select committee at 1.00 pm

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Another shocking turn (sorry) in Steering Wheelgate

One of the stranger stories from today’s January 6 hearing is that Donald Trump allegedly lunged for the wheel of a presidential limo when he was upset his staff wouldn’t take him to the Capitol.

Trump ‘tried to grab steering wheel when wasn’t being taken to Capitol’

‘I’m the f***ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.’

The Secret Service has said it is cooperating with the committee to look into what happened.

Secret Service willing to respond to allegations Trump lunged at steering wheel

Former White House aide testifed that ex-president lunged at driver to turn towards US Capitol

However, Bobby Engel, a lead Secret Service agent protecting Donald Trump, as well as the presidential limo driver are both prepared to testify that such an incident never occured, according to NBC News.

Source Article from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-secret-service-jan-6-committee-surprise-hearing-b2111686.html

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