On January 6, 2021, after speaking at the rally at the Ellipse near the US Capitol and pumping up the crowd, Donald Trump entered his limo with the Secret Service, including the agent assigned to him, Robert Engel. He had just told his followers to march to the Capitol and he told them he would join them. 

But Engel was adamantly advising against it. In spite of Engel telling him they were going back to the West Wing, Trump ordered to be driven to join his people, who were known to be armed with weapons and clearly a danger to him and others. Trump said they weren’t there to hurt him, so he wasn’t concerned about his security. Irate and seemingly out of control, Trump grabbed the steering wheel and was restrained by Engel. Trump lunged at Engel and went for his neck.

Trump knew that going to the Capitol would put him and others in legal jeopardy. White House counsel Pat Cipollone had warned him. He apparently didn’t care. There had been many conversations with his associates about pardons.

This is not a Netflix series.

This is the testimony given by Cassidy Hutchinson, assistant to former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows. She heard about the limo episode from former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Tony Ornato. Engel did not deny it. Hutchinson had a front row seat to many of the events that occurred on and leading up to January 6, and bravely came forward at the January 6 Committee public hearing on Tuesday.

Trump left his rally speech expecting that he would be taken to the Capitol, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said she had a conversation with Pat Cipollone on January 3, in which Cipollone advised strongly against Trump joining the marchers. 

Hutchinson said. “Mr. Cipollone had a brief private conversation where he said to me ‘we need to make sure this doesn’t happen; this would be legally a terrible idea for us.’”

She continued, “Cipollone said something to the effect of, ‘please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol… we’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable.’” Among the crimes, she said, were obstruction of justice and defrauding the electoral count.

“It’s my understanding that Mr. Cipollone thought that Mr. Meadows was indeed pushing this along with the president,” she added.

After returning to the White House, Trump was watching the riot on television. Meadows was in another room scrolling through his phone. When Hutchinson told ”Mark” they should intervene and talk to the former President, he responded that Trump wanted to be alone.

Other shocking information was brought out about the events leading up to that day, and how some tried to stop it and some went along with it or encouraged it.

The key players talked about pardons. Hutchinson said at least five House Republicans sought pardons. Many people are refusing to testify or have “pleaded the 5th.” They repeat that phrase so often, they just mumble “fifth” when questioned. 

There is also evidence of witness tampering now that the committee and the Justice Department are uncovering the details.

To be continued in July. 

Watch on YouTube or other streaming sources online.