On Twitter this Tuesday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) touted the testimony to the House committee investigating the Capitol riot of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson worked at the White House on January 6.
“This committee’s only the 1st step in digging out the rot which weakened our democracy and made it vulnerable to the attack that harmed our country on January 6th. The courage of Americans like Cassidy Hutchinson empowers the truth to create the change we need,” as Kinzinger put it. Kinzinger is, of course, a member of the riot panel, which announced the Tuesday hearing featuring Hutchinson just the day prior. At Tuesday’s hearing, a variety of startling revelations emerged, such as details of an incident in which then-President Trump allegedly got into a physical altercation with the head of his Secret Service detail while in a rage over that agent pushing for the then-president to return to the White House instead of go to the Capitol, as Trump wanted.
It happened after Trump got in the presidential vehicle following his January 6 speech. “The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel,” Hutchinson said. “Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, ‘Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We’re going back to the West Wing. We’re not going the Capitol.’ Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel.” Engel was the Secret Service agent. Hutchinson was informed about what happened by Anthony Ornato, who handled security at the White House and had been in the vehicle as it all unfolded. Hutchinson was apparently elsewhere in the motorcade.
Kinzinger, meanwhile, added as follows: “The oath we take to defend our democracy and to uphold our Constitution means everything, or it means nothing. I will carry through the oath I took… Cassidy Hutchinson is one of the most brave and honorable people I know.” Trump, as could be expected, didn’t take Hutchinson’s Tuesday public appearance well. “Her body language is that of a total bull…. artist. Fantasy Land!” Trump said in apparent reference to Hutchinson. It seems like the former president was watching the Tuesday hearing, because he posted angry and deceptive complaints about it for over an hour.
At the hearing, it was also revealed Trump apparently knew the crowd of his supporters in D.C. on the day of the riot was heavily armed. “Trump knew the crowd on Jan. 6 was heavily armed. Prepared for violence. He wanted the magnetometers taken down, as the crowd was no threat to him. He then directed them to the Capitol, where they threatened his VP. And he was perfectly fine with that,” fellow committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) summarized. The magnetometers in question were those involved in the security screening process for the crowd at the then-president’s January 6 speech. Check out Kinzinger’s posts below:
This committee's only the 1st step in digging out the rot which weakened our democracy and made it vulnerable to the attack that harmed our country on January 6th. The courage of Americans like Cassidy Hutchinson empowers the truth to create the change we need. #StandForTruth
— Adam Kinzinger🇺🇦🇺🇸✌️ (@AdamKinzinger) June 28, 2022
The oath we take to defend our democracy and to uphold our Constitution means everything, or it means nothing. I will carry through the oath I took. https://t.co/o7yd8X37wt
— Adam Kinzinger🇺🇦🇺🇸✌️ (@AdamKinzinger) June 28, 2022
Cassidy Hutchinson is one of the most brave and honorable people I know.
— Adam Kinzinger🇺🇦🇺🇸✌️ (@AdamKinzinger) June 28, 2022
