In a new development, additional testimony concerning former President Donald Trump has been challenged.
Cassidy Hutchinson, who previously served as an aide to Mark Meadows, the ex-White House Chief of Staff, and a key witness for the January 6 Committee, testified under oath about an incident involving Tony Ornato, then head of presidential security. Hutchinson claimed she heard Ornato say that Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of his limousine in an attempt to go to the Capitol during the January 6 riot. However, recent revelations from a new witness interviewed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General have disputed her account, according to a report by The Daily Caller.
The report states, “Interviews were conducted with Secret Service agents who were present in the limousine with the President. The driver indicated that Trump was visibly upset when his request to go to the Capitol was denied. However, the lead agent, seated in front of the President, did not recall any anger from Trump.” The report continues, “We inquired whether the President reached for the steering wheel or lunged towards the lead agent when his request was denied, and the agents interviewed said these actions did not take place.” Additionally, the DHS OIG report clarifies that Hutchinson was not interviewed for this investigation since her testimony about the events inside “the Beast” was already public. The report also includes a statement from Ornato to the OIG, saying, “I do not recall being informed of any details regarding the President’s return trip to the White House, nor do I remember discussing it with anyone.”
This new information from witnesses contrasts sharply with Hutchinson’s testimony before the January 6 Committee in June 2022, where she described the head of Trump’s Secret Service detail restraining the President as he allegedly attempted to seize the steering wheel of the limousine.
Hutchinson had testified that Ornato described Trump as “irate,” quoting Trump saying, “I am the f-ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.”
This isn’t the first instance where Hutchinson’s testimony has been contested. In December 2023, a lawsuit filed by her former attorney questioned the veracity of her statements made during the January 6 Committee hearings. Just the News reported that this lawsuit included text messages suggesting Hutchinson initially did not wish to comply with the committee’s investigation and considered leaking information to the media independently of her lawyer.
These text messages were from just before her initial private interview with the special committee investigating the January 6 events. They were submitted as evidence in a lawsuit by her former lawyer, Stefan Passantino, against Andrew Weissmann, an MSNBC legal analyst and former prosecutor. The lawsuit alleges Weissmann falsely claimed that Passantino coached Hutchinson to lie during her congressional testimony.
The lawsuit asserts, “This is a malicious falsehood. Mr. Passantino never coached Ms. Hutchinson to lie, nor did he attempt to influence her testimony in any manner.” Additionally, texts from Hutchinson imply that she, a former aide to Mark Meadows, initially expressed reluctance to cooperate with the committee despite Passantino’s encouragement. Just the News quoted an exchange where an unidentified person asked Hutchinson, “Like how on earth are they doing this to you?” to which Hutchinson replied, “I don’t know. But I don’t want to comply. Stefan wants me to comply.”