Driver says Trump didn’t lunge for wheel on Jan. 6 in newly released testimony

On January 6, the driver of former President Donald Trump’s car disputed bombshell testimony that he tried to take control of the vehicle, despite acknowledging the former president’s claims that he would join his supporters at the Capitol.

The details were released as part of a wide-ranging House Republican report that minimized Trump’s role in that day’s destruction, and star witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the now-disbanded committee on Jan. 6 is focused on.

Hutchinson told the nation she heard President Trump “rammed” the steering wheel as he tried to turn toward the Capitol after his speech near the White House. This story was told to me by someone else.

“[President Trump] Never got behind the wheel. You know, I never saw him lunge to get into the front seat,” the anonymous driver told the commission’s investigators.

The House Administration Committee subcommittee that drafted the report has not released the driver’s complete records that The Hill had requested.

Copy reviewed by new york timesBut the driver backed Hutchinson’s details about President Trump’s claim that he would join supporters at the Capitol, noting that not only the driver but also former President Trump’s national security chief Bobby This indicates that the request was also made to Mr. Engel.

“The president was adamant about going to the Capitol,” said the driver, whose name was not released.

“It was clear he wanted to go to the Capitol. He wasn’t shouting at Mr. Engel. He wasn’t shouting at me. His voice was certainly raised. But he didn’t seem annoyed to me – certainly not, certainly not as annoyed or agitated as he was on the way to the Ellipse,” the driver said. Stated. According to the Times.

“What was noticeable was the irritation in his voice more than his physical presence.”

At another point, Trump also said he considered the crowd to be his supporters and therefore not a danger to him.

“I don’t remember exactly what triggered it or how that part of the conversation unfolded naturally, but he was trying to push it pretty hard,” the agent testified.

“What struck me most was that he kept asking why we couldn’t go, why we couldn’t go, and didn’t care about the people who were there, or if they were Trumpists or He failed to mention that he was a Trump supporter,” they said. Added.

Hutchinson, who appeared before a panel discussion in the summer of 2022, gave an account of Trump’s actions relayed to him by Tony Ornato, a former Secret Service official who was Trump’s chief of staff at the time. Ornat told Engel about the episode, but Engel didn’t speak.

When told by Engel that the unscheduled trip could not be made safely, Trump said, “I’m the outgoing president. Take me to the Capitol right now,” according to Hutchinson’s testimony.

“The president reached out to the front of the car and grabbed the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm and said, ‘Sir, take your hands off the steering wheel. We’re going back to the West Wing. There’s no room in the Capitol. I’m not going.” “Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Bobby Engel,” Hutchinson testified.

The committee’s final report on January 6 described President Trump’s request to go to the Capitol to join his supporters as a key undisputed detail.

“It is difficult to fully reconcile the testimony of the several witnesses who provided information with what we heard from Engel and Ornato,” the report said.

“But the main factual point here is clear and undisputed: President Trump made specific and repeated demands to be taken to the Capitol. He returned to the White House, persistent and angry. Afterwards, he continued to insist that he go to the Capitol.

The driver was interviewed by the commission several months after Hutchinson’s explosive testimony, but the recording was not made public as part of the commission’s extensive records collection.

House Republicans have criticized the exclusion as an effort to suppress information against prominent witnesses.

But a letter from the Department of Homeland Security’s general counsel, seen by the Times, shows that the agency was asked to review the records for any necessary redactions before including them.

The records also include other details that corroborate his testimony before the committee, including Trump’s complaints about then-Vice President Mike Pence and his obsession with crowd size during his Ellipse speech.

“I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I remember he was upset that the vice president was reluctant to certify the Electoral College,” the driver testified. did.

“Probably within at least 30 seconds of getting in the car after hearing the crowd size,” the driver later added.