Trump knew the thugs were armed at the rally and sent them to the Capitol
Tuesday afternoon, Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former President Donald Trump’s last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, released several key testimonies about the January 6 Capitol attack. Hutchinson had watched the former president from inside the West Wing and gave detailed testimony about the case when the mob stormed the U.S.
Hutchinson told the committee that on the morning of January 6, Trump had been told that his supporters were carrying dangerous weapons like pepper spray, knives, stun guns, body armor, gas, and AR-15s, to which he responded, “You know, I don’t even care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me.” Trump then took the stage and told the crowd, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol.”
After Trump’s January 6 speech, he asked Robert Engel, the head of the Secret Service Detail, to drive him to the Capitol, but Engel affirmed they needed to return to the West Wing due to safety concerns; Trump said, “I’m the f-ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.” Engel resisted Trump’s command, and according to Hutchinson’s testimony, she alleged the former president grabbed the steering wheel and put his hands around Engel’s neck.
Hutchinson testified that after the rioters stormed the Capitol, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone asked White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to tell Trump to do Something to stop the violence. Meadows said Trump “doesn’t want to do anything.” Cipollone forcefully said, “Something needs to be done, or people are going to die, and blood is going to be on your f—ing hands. This is getting out of control.” But, Meadows was unwilling to do anything to stop the assault on the Capitol as it was what the president wanted.
Hutchinson’s testimony is the smoking gun that the January 6th committee had been awaiting. Experts say it is almost sure the former president will get charged for his role in the deadly violence that took place that day.
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