The congressional committee investigating the 6 January attack on the Capitol lacked a crucial piece of the puzzle – the testimony of someone who could provide a firsthand account of the situation in the White House in the hours preceding the attack – until now.
A former top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, filled in the blanks. And she has painted a devastating picture, including an allegation, which Trump denies, that he attempted to seize the steering wheel of the car he was riding in and struggled with a Secret Service agent in an attempt to divert his motorcade to the Capitol, where his supporters were gathered.
An ignored threat of violence
Very early on in the proceedings, the committee went to great lengths to establish how the White House and the president knew there was a very real threat of violence on January 6 but did nothing to prevent it.
Ms. Hutchinson testified that Mr. Meadows told her, days before the attack, that he believed that things “could get worse.”
She described how White House officials were warned about the possibility of violence. And, in perhaps the most damning testimony to date, she claimed that Donald Trump knew that members of the crowd at his morning rally near the White House were armed because Secret Service officers were turning them away – yet he directed them to the Capitol anyway.
“I could care less that they have weapons. They do not intend to harm me “Ms. Hutchinson reported having heard the president say. “Allow my people entrance. From here, they can march to the Capitol.”
A president enraged
However, some of Ms. Hutchinson’s most damning testimony was obtained through hearsay. She described how a White House official informed her that the president insisted on traveling to the Capitol following his White House rally, as he had stated he would do during his speech. When he discovered that the motorcade was returning to the White House, he attempted to seize the steering wheel and struggled with a Secret Service agent.
Trump reportedly stated, “I’m the [expletive] president,” according to Hutchinson. “Take me to the Capitol immediately.”
Since Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony, a source close to the Secret Service has told CBS News that both the agent and driver traveling in the car with Mr. Trump are willing to testify under oath that he did not physically attack either of them and never attempted to seize the steering wheel.
Ms. Hutchinson recalled hearing Mr. Meadows says that, upon learning that rioters were calling for Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged, Mr. Trump expressed approval.
Ms. Hutchinson overheard her boss say, “He believes Mike is deserving of it.” He does not believe they are committing any wrongdoing.
Such evidence would be considered hearsay and treated with skepticism in a trial court. In the hearing room, however, it was explosive, and the committee will use it to put pressure on senior Trump officials who have so far refused to testify, such as White House chief counsel Pat Cipollone, to come forward and either corroborate or refute her accounts.
After the day’s hearing, committee chair Bennie Thompson said, “Our doors remain open if, after hearing today’s testimony, you suddenly remember things you couldn’t recall before or rediscover some courage you had buried deep within yourself.”
An impartial witness
During Ms. Hutchinson’s in-person testimony on Tuesday, the January 6th committee’s announcement of a mysterious witness and the discovery of new evidence cast a bright light on her.
For a 25-year-old college intern at the White House four years ago, she handled the pressure remarkably well.
She responded to the committee’s questions with a calm, methodical tone, describing how and under what conditions she obtained the information she was relating. The committee emphasized that Ms. Hutchinson’s office was only a few doors away from the president’s Oval Office and that she controlled access to Mr. Meadows’ office, putting her in a prime position to witness and, at times, overhear conversations between key figures in the days leading up to the Capitol attacks.
Her meticulous recollection of events and account indicates that she may have kept a record of the events during her time at the White House, or the very least has an electronic record of texts and emails that support her claims.
Donald Trump’s response
As Ms. Hutchinson was delivering her sometimes damning account of the president’s actions preceding and during the 6 January attack, Mr. Trump took to his social media platform to attempt to discredit her claims.
He stated that he hardly knows Ms. Hutchinson but hears “extremely negative” things about her. This was typical of his previous responses to critics. He referred to her as a phony and a “leaker” and implied that she was resentful because he did not offer her a job after she left the White House.
He then denied many of the incidents described by Ms. Hutchinson and reiterated that he had stated in his rally speech that the crowd should march “peacefully” to the Capitol.
It is always uncertain whether negative stories about Mr. Trump’s conduct will diminish his support among his supporters. However, Tuesday’s testimony and the five hearings that preceded it may remind some Republicans of the chaos that frequently surrounded the Trump presidency and the fact that, despite his conservative achievements, he presided over his party losing both houses of Congress and the White House.
Given that a potential opponent in 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is rising in head-to-head polls against Mr. Trump, these hearings may have caused significant political damage to the former president.
