Select Committee Hearing #6

The House Jan. 6 committee held a hearing Tuesday, June 28, 2022, to share new evidence and witness testimony.

Testimony was given by Cassidy Hutchinson, a senior aide to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows.

In the course of her work for the White House, Hutchinson had firsthand insight into communications between Meadows and former President Donald Trump, including those leading up to the insurrection and in the days afterward. Hutchinson was also the person who revealed that congress members had asked for pardons.

In testimony to the House committee, Hutchinson recalled that chief of staff Mark Meadows had told her in early January that “things might get real, real bad.” Before that conversation, Hutchinson had talked to Rudy Giuliani, former attorney for then-President Donald Trump. She told the committee that Giuliani had asked her if she was excited for Jan. 6.

“We’re going to the Capitol, it’s going to be great. The president is going to be there. He’s going to look powerful,” Hutchinson said she remembered Giuliani saying. She told Rep. Liz Cheney that those interactions with Giuliani and Meadows made her scared and nervous for what was soon going to happen.

During her conversation with Hutchinson, Cheney described the large number of weapons that were confiscated or spotted by authorities managing security during a rally for former President Donald Trump.

Cheney said the Secret Service had sent up magnetometers to screen those who wanted to view Trump’s speech at the rally. Many surrendered their weapons — pepper spray, knives, brass knuckles, Tasers, body armor, gas masks, batons — so they could enter the Ellipse where the speech was being given.

“And those were just from the people who chose to go through the security,” she added.

Hutchinson testified that she overheard Trump saying that he did not care if his supporters had weapons — and suggested he had no issue with them marching to the Capitol armed.

Upon hearing that his security detail could not authorize a trip to the Capitol after his speech on the Ellipse, Trump lunged at the Secret Service agent in charge of his security that day, according to testimony from Hutchinson. Secret Service, advisers, and lawyers to the president had all warned him about traveling to the Capitol.

Hutchinson said security officials warned multiple times they could not make a trip to the Capitol happen, guidance she relayed to Meadows both before and after Trump’s speech, in which he told rallygoers he would join them in a march toward Congress.

On the way to Trump’s vehicle, Meadows told the president that the head of his detail, Bobby Engel, had more information about the trip to the Capitol.

When Trump got into the car, Engel told him they didn’t have the assets for the trip and that it wasn’t secure. Trump became “irate,” according to White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato who spoke to Hutchinson after she returned to the White House.

Trump said something to the effect of, “I’m the f***ing president, take me up to the Capitol now.” After Engel relayed they had to return to the White House, Trump reached up to the front of the vehicle to grab the steering wheel. Engel grabbed the president’s arm and said “Sir, you need to let go,” Hutchinson recalled. Trump then used his free hand to lunge toward Engel’s neck, Ornato reportedly told Hutchinson.

In the year since its creation, the committee has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, seeking critical information and documents from people witness to, or involved in, the capitol insurrection that took place on January 6, 2021.

Additional hearings are expected in July.

Follow the progress at january6th.house.gov.