Bombshells in Surprise Jan. 6 Congressional Hearing

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by: Colorado Pols

The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection held a surprise hearing today that included several new bombshells further implicating former President Trump and top advisers. The main witness today was Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows who was privy to many of the innermost discussions in the waning days of the Trump administration.

Hutchinson told the committee that Trump knew that rioters were heavily armed but wanted security officials to let them into the Capitol anyway. She also told stories of an apoplectic Trump lunging at staffers and smashing dishes inside the White House.

As Katie Benner writes for The New York Times:

Hutchinson provided many bombshells. The shocking description of Trump wrestling the Secret Service for control of his car on Jan. 6 so he could go to the Capitol. Portraying Meadows, her former boss, as a man who abdicated responsibility to the nation and hoped to be pardoned. And saying Trump knew that his supporters had dangerous weapons when he asked them to march on Congress.

Cheney ended the hearing on a solemn note, saying that democracy is preserved by people “who know the fundamental difference between right and wrong.” People of high rank and power have refused to talk about that distinction with the committee, but Hutchinson, a low-ranking official, didn’t shy from it today.

Via CNN

The Washington Post has more details on today’s revelations, including a description of an enraged Trump literally trying to wrestle the wheel away from his driver when the Secret Service told him it was too dangerous to go to the Capitol:

After the speech, Trump got back in his heavily fortified limousine and literally tried to wrestle the steering wheel away from the head of his Secret Service detail to go to the Capitol, according to Hutchinson, who said she was repeating what she heard from Ornato. (Secret Service decided it was too dangerous.)

Here’s how Hutchinson relayed what she heard from Ornato about the moment:

“The president said something to the effect of ‘I’m the f-ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now,’ to which [Robert Engel, the head of the Secret Service detail] responded, ‘Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing.’ The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, said, ‘Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We’re going back to the West Wing. We’re not going the Capitol.’ Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engel,” Hutchinson testified, and said Ornato motioned to his clavicles to describe a kind of choking-motion. [Pols emphasis]

[mantra-pullquote align=”right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”40%”]“Let my people in.”

— President Trump’s alleged response when told that Capitol rioters were heavily armed.[/mantra-pullquote]

Hutchinson said that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone had been frantically trying to prevent Trump from going to the Capitol — where he had talked about storming into the House chambers himself — because of clear and obvious legal implications.

Hutchinson also testified that Trump did not want to call off the rioters at the Capitol and had to be talked into making a statement:

Hutchinson said she saw Cipollone “barreling down the hallway” looking for her boss, Meadows. She overheard the conversation: “I remember Pat saying to him, something to the effect of, ‘The rioters have gotten into the Capitol, Mark, we need to go down and see the president now.’ And Mark looked up [from his phone] and said ‘He doesn’t want to do anything, Pat.’” [Pols emphasis]

Today’s hearing should be a watershed moment for all but the most lobotomized Trump supporters. There’s not much that anyone could say at this point to refute claims that Trump was trying everything possible to initiate a coup on Jan. 6, 2021.

13 thoughts on “Bombshells in Surprise Jan. 6 Congressional Hearing”

JohnNorthofDenver says:

June 28, 2022 at 1:28 pm

The old man has temper tantrums and they will happily stoop to pick up his thrown dinners.

republicans are slaves nothing more

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1. Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
  
  June 28, 2022 at 2:01 pm
  
  Give it a few more weeks and we will hear that at time, he flung his own feces at Jared Kushner and Pat Cipollone.
  
  Someone wasn't playing Memories loud enough to calm him down.
  
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kwtree says:

June 28, 2022 at 2:01 pm

Love to hear from any Republican Polsters if these revelations have changed your mind about supporting Trumpists or the Big Lie. Moderatus? Negev? Allyncooper? Powerful Pear? Andrew Carnegie, if you’re still lurking? Miguel Ali? ( CHB, you don’t count – you’re an endangered RINO).

Love to be a fly on the wall during the Colorado GOP primary watch parties. I suspect that the snacks will be soft and squishy, to accommodate the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The hospitality cups will be wide-mouthed, to allow for the crying into the beer.

As for me, I’ll be watching and strategizing with Democrats. The snacks will be salty and spicy, like the conversation.

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1. JohnNorthofDenver says:
  
  June 28, 2022 at 2:10 pm
  
  It’s like finding out who is in the cast on the next season of American Horror Story.
  
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2. Negev says:
  
  June 28, 2022 at 7:25 pm
  
  So Trump tried to grab the wheel and steer to the capital fighting a secret service agent?
  
  This hearing is going to backfire… while I see secret service "debunking" this testimony already it would be even better if it were true…
  
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  1. JohnInDenver says:
    
    June 28, 2022 at 8:42 pm
    
    So far, the committee has asked questions to get answers that are in agreement with other testimony. Hutchinson said what she was told. The follow up question asked if the head of the detail denied the description.
    
    Committee has apparently had testimony from several of the Secret Service agents. Hard to believe that Cheney would ask a series of questions if the record from those agents denied the story.
    
    so far, the "debunking" I've seen has been a NBC correspondent saying sources told him something different and the Secret Service saying
    
    “U.S. Secret Service has been cooperating with the Select Committee since its inception in spring 2021, and will continue to do so, including by responding on the record to the Committee regarding the new allegations surfaced in today’s testimony."
    
    Got anything better?
    
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    1. Negev says:
      
      June 28, 2022 at 8:52 pm
      
      This article suggests it did not happen, however, again, if it is found to be true it will garner more support than if proven false… the mockery is already gaining more traction than the hearings!
      
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  2. kwtree says:
    
    June 28, 2022 at 9:01 pm
    
    OK, so we have straight up denial from the R corner.
    
    ” It didn’t happen!”
    
    But I agree with J i D’s comment below: the Jan 6 committee is way ahead of everyone- probably already has Secret Service agents lined up to corroborate Hutchinson’s testimony.
    
    But thanks for playing!
    Cheap Dems; cash bar, no snacks. I did get to see Polis, Bennet, Weiser,Young and Crowe all in person accepting their nominations, and exhorting us to fight fight fight like democracy depends on us. Which it does.
    Bennet is trying out his populist schtick: 90% of Coloradans are struggling, while 10% are doing just fine. What is this commie bs? Who are you and what have you done with my Senator?
    I guess if that’s what it takes to draw a contrast between him and ODea, then go for it, Michael B.
    
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    1. Negev says:
      
      June 29, 2022 at 5:51 am
      
      Actually that quote was from NBC News White House reporter Peter Alexander….who has a moderately left bias…
      
      If you would like to quote me, “it would be even better if it were true”
      
      Decidedly different than straight up denial.
      
      Trump couldn’t ask for better press.
      
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      1. NOV GOP meltdown says:
        
        June 29, 2022 at 9:40 am
        
        I see Trump was quite pleased with all of that press yesterday. It's all going according to plan.
        
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JeffcoDemo says:

June 28, 2022 at 8:14 pm

It scares me how much of our country would respond to this with, "and…."

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coloradosane says:

July 9, 2022 at 7:54 am

8 hours of testimony yesterday by Cipollone never took 5th. Please sweet jebus of the right take out these creeps. Rats jumping ship of fools?

Watching Cipollone defending Trump at second impeachment totally disgusting and now even more so.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3550694-logfren-says-cipollone-did-not-contradict-the-testimony-of-other-witnesses-in-meeting-with-jan-6-panel/

Bannon to testify?

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3550894-trump-mulling-waiver-of-executive-privilege-claim-for-bannon-report/

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1. Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
  
  July 9, 2022 at 9:59 am
  
  I'm guessing he didn't spend 8 hours stuttering or asking what the meaning of the word "is" is.
  
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