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Trump Did Not Lunge For Limo Steering Wheel On Jan 6, Witnesses Tell Inspector General

Former President Donald Trump did not attempt to get behind the wheel of the presidential limousine on January 6, as the commission's key witness suggested, according to witnesses interviewed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified On January 6, 2022, he told the committee that he had heard from Tony Ornato, the White House security officer, that Trump had jumped behind the wheel of the Beast after being informed that he would be returning to the White House that day, rather than the Capitol. However, a witness who was in the car and was questioned by the Department of Homeland Security OIG said: report An investigation into the Secret Service's response on January 6th found that Trump took no such action.

“We also [redacted] “A Secret Service agent who was in the limousine with the president said the president was upset when his request to go to the Capitol was denied, but the head of the presidential guard, who was sitting in front of the president, said he did not recall whether the president was upset,” a footnote in the report read. “We believe that the president was upset when he was in the limousine and the driver said he … [redacted] Investigators are looking into whether the president reached for the steering wheel or lunged toward unit leaders when his request to go to the Capitol was denied. [redacted] Witnesses testified that no such action occurred.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Text Messages Show Cassidy Hutchinson Calling Jan. 6th Committee “BS”)

The DHS OIG report noted that agency investigators did not interview Hutchinson for the report because his account of events inside “The Beast” was already part of the public record. The report also noted that Ornerto wrote to the OIG that he “does not recall being informed of any details regarding the President's return to the White House and therefore does not recall speaking with anyone about the subject.”

The scene described by witnesses in the car contrasts with that described by Hutchinson. Said During her testimony before the Jan. 6 committee in June 2022, she related an anecdote in which the head of the Secret Service for Trump's security detail had to stop the president from taking the wheel of “The Beast.”

Ornato said, [Trump] “Engel was furious. The president said something along the lines of, 'I'm the f**king president. Get me to the Capitol right now,'” Hutchinson testified, adding that Engel was silent when Ornato told him the story.

Major news media, including: Reuters, CBS News and NBC News — Published an article reinforcing Hutchinson's claims about what happened at the “Beast” on January 6th when he testified before Congress in June 2022.

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