On January 6, 2021, a tumultuous day that saw a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump storm the Capitol building, a new allegation emerged from the “bipartisan” Liz Cheney–Adam Kinzinger Jan. 6 Committee. It was claimed that Trump had attempted to reroute his armored car to the Capitol, where his supporters were gathering, by lunging for the steering wheel and physically accosting Secret Service agents.
The claim was leveled by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the House committee that Trump had “somehow managed to grab the wheel of The Beast” and lunged at the agent who informed him that they would not be going to the Capitol. However, recently released testimony from an unnamed Secret Service driver has contradicted this claim, stating that he did not see Trump make any attempt to reach for the wheel or accost the agents.
The driver’s testimony, released on Monday, is the first extensive account of what happened in the armored vehicle on that fateful day to be made public. However, it should be noted that this transcript was not released by the House Jan. 6 committee but was obtained by news outlets from a separate source. This raises questions about why the committee, led by Cheney and Kinzinger, did not release this important piece of information.
In JUST RELEASED testimony, that the J6 committee hid, President Trumps USSS driver confirms Trump never lunged for the steering wheel of The Beast, & never assaulted anyone.
Cassidy Hutchinson LIED!
PERJURY! pic.twitter.com/cqAXvk2qvj
— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) March 11, 2024
According to the driver’s testimony, Trump did express irritation with the agents, but there was no physical attempt to take control of the vehicle. This development adds detail to one of the most scrutinized moments of the Capitol riot but also raises concerns about the credibility and bias of the Jan. 6 committee. In a statement, Representative Barry Loudermilk, a leading Republican on the committee, called the delay in releasing this information a cover-up and criticized the committee for promoting a “thirdhand version of events” in their final report.
Hutchinson’s testimony, which formed the basis of the committee’s report, was certainly eye-opening, with details of Trump’s outburst and supposed physical attempt to gain control of the vehicle. However, it now appears that this version of events was inaccurate, and the committee had access to contradictory information but chose not to disclose it. This raises questions about the committee’s motivations and whether their actions were truly bipartisan or politically motivated.
With the release of this new testimony, the credibility of both the committee and Hutchinson’s account has been called into question. If the former aide’s story is discredited, it brings into question the validity of other testimonies from the Jan. 6 committee, which has been the subject of controversy and scrutiny since its inception. However, as the driver’s testimony was not released by the committee, it is unclear if or how this new information will impact the committee’s findings.
Furthermore, this revelation highlights the ongoing issue of bias and lack of transparency in the highly polarized political landscape of the United States. With key players like Cheney and Kinzinger, who have become vocal critics of Trump, leading the committee, concerns have been raised about the impartiality of their investigation. The delayed release of the driver’s testimony only adds fuel to these concerns, with some viewing it as a deliberate effort to push a certain narrative and discredit the former president.
It is also worth noting that the driver’s testimony directly contradicts the account given by Hutchinson, which she claimed to have heard from former Secret Service agent Tony Ornato, a Trump deputy chief of staff at the time. Engel, another former Secret Service agent who was present in the vehicle, did not interject or contradict Hutchinson’s account at the time. This raises questions about the accuracy and reliability of second and third-hand information, particularly in such a divisive and politically charged situation.
