One of Donald Trump’s former motorcade officers has confirmed January 6th witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump tried to force the Secret Service to take him to the Capitol.
During her bombshell primetime testimony to the House January 6th Committee, Hutchinson said that Trump tried to physically force the Secret Service and his motorcade to travel to the Capitol, presumably so he could further spur on his supporters to violently storm the building and install him as a dictator.
“The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. [Secret Service agent Bobby] Engel grabbed his arm and said, ‘Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We’re going back to the West Wing. We’re not going to the Capitol.’”
Indeed, Trump would end up being taken back to the White House, where he watched and waited for three hours as his supporters stormed the Capitol before ultimately and grudgingly bowing to pleas to send the National Guard to restore order, but only after it appeared his coup attempt had failed.
Trump’s allies and Republicans have since tried to refute the testimony. But Mark Robinson, who was on Trump’s motorcade detail that day, confirmed Hutchinson’s testimony during a Monday interview on CNN with Don Lemon.
“We’ve heard it several times while it was on the motorcade. I think during the speech, shortly thereafter, he had finished the speech, that the president was getting into the motorcade and he was upset,” Robinson said. “And he adamantly wanted to go to the Capitol. And even when we departed from the Ellipse, it was repeated again… It was a heated argument in the limo. And he wanted to definitely go to the Capitol.”
Robinson opined that Trump wanted to be present at the Capitol to encourage the insurrection.
“I think it would have probably encouraged more rioting. If the presidential motorcade came in support of them,” he said. I think the insurrectionists probably would have felt as though they had the support of the president.”
Here’s the video via YouTube:
Hutchinson’s testimony is even more legitimate now and it’s clear that Trump wanted to continue inciting the insurrection at the Capitol itself. This makes the deleted Service texts from that day even more important to recover. The very fact these texts were deleted suggests they are damning evidence against Trump. It is becoming more and more likely that Trump not only incited the insurrection, but he also intended to cheer on his supporters at the Capitol itself.
Featured Image: Wikimedia
