Washington – AFP
Former US President Donald Trump tried to drive himself, instead of the driver, in the presidential car, to join the crowds that were heading towards the headquarters of Congress, according to a statement made by a senior aid in his administration Tuesday before the House of Representatives Committee of Inquiry.
A former Trump administration aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, said he got into his car following addressing his supporters at a rally near the White House on January 6, 2021, but was told he was unable to join his supporters at a protest rally, which quickly turned to a bloody rebellion.
She added that an administration official told her that Trump said, “I’m the president. Take me to the Capitol now.”
Hutchinson said that former president’s advisor Pat Cipoloni suggested that Trump’s joining of his supporters on the Capitol would get him into legal trouble.
accusations and crimes
She recalled the words of Cipoloni at the time, warning: “We will be charged with every imaginable crime, if we allow that to happen.”
This came in a testimony Hutchinson gave before the Parliamentary Inquiry into the storming of Congress in the sixth hearing to be held this month on the incident. Hutchinson was an executive assistant to then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and her role was pivotal at that time.
In one of the most surprising statements to date, Hutchinson said that Trump and some of his top aides were aware of the possibility of violence before the attack, contradicting information indicating that the break-in was spontaneous and had nothing to do with the administration.
In what suggests that he was watching the hearing on television, Trump tried to discredit Hutchinson through comments he made during the hearing on his social network, stressing it was a “fabricated account” and mocking the hearing, describing it as a “sham trial.”
dangerous curve
Hutchinson said she heard Meadows say before the storming that “things might take a dangerous, very bad turn on January 6th.” She said she asked Meadows for help following a meeting at the White House that included Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. In her testimony, she said that Giuliani asked her at the time if she was “excited” for this day, and when she asked him what would happen, Giuliani said that what would happen was “going to the Capitol”.
He continued, “It would be wonderful. The boss will be there. It will look strong. It will be with members. He will be with the senators,” to then refer it to her president, noting that Trump is aware of the matter. In her affidavit, she said she informed Meadows of what Giuliani had said.
She added: “He kept looking at his phone and said what it means a lot of things are happening, Cass, but I don’t know. Things can take a very dangerous and bad turn.” And she continued, “When I heard what Rudy said, and then Mark’s reaction, that was the first moment I remember feeling scared and nervous regarding what might happen on January 6th.”
right-wing groups
Hutchinson said she heard the names of the far-right groups “Out Keepers” and “The Proud Boys” circulating in the White House just before that day. She noted that Meadows and Trump were aware of the possibility of violence, including the arming of Trump supporters, as they gathered in Ellips Park, south of the White House.
Hutchinson indicated that when she reported to Meadows of violence, “he reacted almost non-existently.”
Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said the House of Representatives had received police reports that participants in the pro-Trump rally had knives, tasers, pepper spray and sharp objects.
Firearms
The recorded communications between the police, which were broadcast during the session, showed that others outside the gathering were in possession of firearms, including AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.
Hutchinson had previously revealed surprising information, and the names of Republican lawmakers who asked Trump to issue pardons following the violence. And she was in contact with local officials in Georgia, where Trump exerted great pressure to push them to “find” votes to bypass Biden’s victory over him, in a phone call regarding which a criminal investigation was later opened.
According to CNN, Hutchinson told the committee that Trump had endorsed the “Hang Mike Pence” chants of Capitol rioters. Hutchinson recalled a conversation between Meadows and Chipoloni shortly following storming Congress, during which the latter said that Trump should stop the demonstrators from chanting.
She said Meadows told Chipoloni over the phone that Trump “didn’t want to do anything,” and quoted Meadows as saying Trump “believes Mike deserves it.”
