Former President Donald Trump's driver was arrested on January 6, 2021, after the former president took the steering wheel from him and tried to drive him to the U.S. Capitol, according to records obtained by The New York Times. Objected to lofty claims.
After his speech on January 6, 2021, President Trump reportedly got into an armored vehicle and began talking about the size of the crowd at his speech. President Trump then said he wanted to go to the Capitol, the president's driver said in an interview with his House members. according to To the New York Times. Trump's chief Secret Service agent, Robert Engel, told the president that such action was impossible because he had no such plans, the driver told The New York Times. The driver reportedly testified that Trump never yelled at him to go to the Capitol or sped his steering wheel.
“The president was adamant about going to the Capitol,” the driver said in the statement, according to the NYT. “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 high-pitched. But he didn't seem irritated to me–certainly not, and he didn't seem as irritated or excited as he was on the way to the Ellipse.''
On January 6, Donald Trump's driver admitted that he requested him to go to the Capitol, but said he “couldn't see” him reaching for the steering wheel, and a White House aide told the House of Representatives. It contradicted the most hotly contested elements of the testimony he gave before the committee. https://t.co/PG5e7fABYd
— New York Times (@nytimes) March 11, 2024
The driver's testimony contradicts that of Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson previously testified that he heard the former president reaching for the steering wheel on the day of the Capitol riot. Mr. Hutchinson told House investigators that Mr. Trump ordered Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato and Mr. Engel to take him to the Capitol, then reached into the steering wheel from the back seat and grabbed Mr. Engel by the collarbone. he said. (Related: Exclusive: Cassidy Hutchinson text message calls committee 'BS' on January 6th)
“I couldn't see him reaching,” the driver told investigators, the NYT reported. “He was never behind the wheel. I never saw him lunge to get into the front seat. You know, it wasn't so much his physical presence that was noticeable. It was the irritation in his voice.”
In its final report on Jan. 6, the committee noted that Mr. Engel did not characterize Mr. Hutchinson's account that day as he described her account.
The committee's Jan. 6 report said, “Mr. Engel did not characterize the interaction in the car as Mr. Hutchinson described what he heard from Mr. Ornato, and that Mr. Engel did not characterize the interaction in the car as Mr. He said he had no recollection of doing so.”
Following Hutchinson's testimony, Trump condemned her testimony that day.
“Did something go wrong with this woman yesterday?” Trump told Newsmax's John Bachmann. “She said I jumped out of the car and started choking her…a Secret Service agent whom I knew well? I got behind the wheel of the car and told the gathering I wanted a gun. I didn't want it. I have to talk too, and I don't want anyone to have a gun.”
“The Secret Service came out and said this story is completely false. Women live in a fantasy land,” Trump continued. “I think it's really unfortunate that something like this is happening in our country.”
The Secret Service driver added that he had no recollection of what President Trump was doing or if there was any movement in the vehicle, the NYT reported.
The House committee's report concluded that it was “difficult to fully reconcile the testimony of several informed witnesses with what we heard from Mr. Engel and Mr. Ornato.” “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.
