Former US president Trump is taking blows to the gut labelled as president enraged by a former top aide.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows paints a devastating picture as she recounted the moments on January 6th when Trump wrestled with a Secret Service officer to divert his motorcade to the Capitol.
Trump is taking blows to the gut
Some of Ms Hutchinson’s most damning testimony came second-hand. However, she recounted how a White House official told her that the US president had insisted on travelling to the Capitol after his White House rally – something he said he would do during his speech.
In a trial court, such evidence would be considered hearsay and treated with scepticism. In the hearing room, however, it was explosive – and will be used by the committee to pressure senior Trump officials.
Trump wrestled with a Secret Service officer
When he learned the motorcade was going back to the White House, he attempted to grab the steering wheel and wrestled with a Secret Service officer.
“I’m the [expletive] president,” Trump said, according to Hutchinson. “Take me up to the Capitol now.”
Since Ms Hutchinson’s testimony, a source close to the Secret Service has told CBS News that both the agent and driver travelling in the car with Mr Trump were willing to testify under oath that the former president did not physically attack either of them and never attempted to grab the steering wheel.
Later in the day, Ms Hutchinson recounted hearing Mr Meadows say that, upon learning that rioters were calling for Vice-President Mike Pence to be hanged, Mr Trump expressed approval.
Donald Trump’s rebuttal
As Ms Hutchinson was giving her at times damning account of the president’s actions before and during the 6 January attack, Mr Trump took to his social media platform and began Donald Trump’s rebuttal against her claims.
It is evident that former president Trump is taking blows to the gut and must respond now to limit the damage to his image before the US elections.
He went on to deny many of the episodes Ms Hutchinson described and, once again, noted that he said in his rally speech that the crowd should march on the Capitol “peacefully”.
Given that a potential 2024 opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is rising in head-to-head polls against Mr Trump, these hearings may have caused real damage to the former president’s political power.
Many of Trump supporters believe he is being slandered to prevent him from being elected in 2024.
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