NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!
The committee since Jan. 6 has not publicly discussed any action to verify or support a key claim former Trump administration aide Cassidy Hutchinson made during a hearing last week.
Hutchinson, who works closely with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, described several major developments through video and personal testimony during the hearing. The most explosive was that former President Donald Trump, upset that the United States Secret Service (USSS) did not take him to the Capitol, tried to grab the steering wheel of a presidential car and lunged at an agent.
Hutchinson was describing what she said was a version of events that former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Tony Ornato told her after the fact on Jan. 6. Hutchinson said Ornato told her the incident happened after Trump left his Ellipse rally and asked to be taken to the Capitol, where Congress was certifying the results of the presidential election.
“The president reached out to the front of the car to grab the steering wheel. [Secret Service agent Bobby] Engel grabbed his arm and said, “Sir, you need to take your hand off the wheel. We return to the West Wing. We’re not going to the Capitol,” Hutchinson said, quoting Ornato. “Trump then used his free hand to lunge at Bobby Engel. When Mr. Ornato told me this story, he gestured to his collarbones.”
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson said former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Tony Ornato told her that former President Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of a presidential car when Secret Service agents told him not to may go to the Capitol in January. 6. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Jan. 6 commission on Tuesday did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital asking if it had attempted to speak with Ornato or Engel after the hearing. She also did not respond to questions about whether she had contacted the Secret Service to verify the claims, whether there might be additional subpoenas related to Hutchinson’s claims, or whether she had taken any other steps to verify what she said.
USSS spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said the agency had no information to share when asked if the commission had taken additional steps to verify Hutchinson’s claims.
SECRET SERVICE SAYS JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE FAILED TO CONSIDER HUTCHINSON’S TESTIMONY ABOUT TRUMP’S ASSAULT AGAINST AGENT
A source close to Ornato told Fox News that Ornato was shocked when Hutchinson made the allegation about the wheel. That source said both Ornato and Engel would be willing to testify before the committee to refute that part of Hutchinson’s story. USSS spokesman Gugliemi also confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that the commission had not contacted him in the days leading up to the hearing to verify Hutchinson’s claims.
In the days since Hutchinson’s testimony was initially challenged, several committee members have spoken publicly and stood by Hutchinson. They also say they would be happy to hear from anyone who challenges Hutchinson under oath. But none described the committee’s further efforts to verify the portions of her testimony that were disputed.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that anyone wishing to challenge Hutchinson’s testimony should not do so through the media and should attach their names to their comments.
“Well, there’s information I can’t say yet, but we’d say for sure Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath. We find it credible and anyone who wants to cast contempt on that who was there firsthand should come forward and also testify under oath and not through anonymous sources, quote unquote and not potentially anonymous sources,” Kinzinger said. .
Vice Speaker Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., delivers opening remarks as the House Special Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its first public hearing to reveal the results of a year-long investigation at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 9, 2022. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., listens at right. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
TONY ORNATO DIDN’T INFORM CASSIDY HUTCHINSON THAT TRUMP TRIED TO CHEAT WITH SECRET SERVICE AGENT: SOURCES
“Well, I’m not going to say what we have or what we don’t have in terms of confirmation,” he told CNN. “But let me say this. What she said is what she heard.’
Kinzinger added that no one disputed some other parts of Hutchinson’s testimony, including that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6 or that he knew many of his supporters were armed. He also said people can expect the commission to release more information in the future. But he did not comment on whether the committee was taking any steps now to investigate what Hutchinson said about Trump lunging at a Secret Service agent or grabbing the wheel of his car.
Separately, Kinzinger highlighted comments by former Trump White House officials that Ornato was not a man of integrity. “There seems to be an underlying thread here…Tony Ornato likes to lie,” Kinzinger tweeted.
JANUARY 6 HEARING: TOP 5 MOMENTS OF CASSIDY HUTCHINSON’S EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY ON TRUMP, CAPITOL ATTACK
This video exhibit released by the House Select Committee shows Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, shown at a hearing of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Thursday. June 23, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (House Select Committee via AP)
Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., made comments similar to Kinzinger’s in their own Sunday appearances on the show.
“The committee will not stand by and watch her character be assassinated by anonymous sources and by men claiming executive privilege. So, we look forward to additional affidavits on a whole range of issues,” Cheney told ABC.
Cheney was pressed by the ABC on whether the commission had further evidence to back up what Hutchinson said. Cheney said there was evidence of Trump’s “intense anger” when he was told he could not go to the Capitol and had to return to the White House. But she did not detail further evidence of the controversial steering wheel throwing and grabbing incident.
“We always expected Trumpworld to try to discredit her, and they didn’t disappoint us in that regard,” Lofgren said of Hutchinson on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
But asked about the steps he was taking to corroborate what she said, Lofgren said the committee had spoken with Ornato beforehand, that the committee would welcome him back if he wanted to testify more, and said Ornato was “part of Trumpworld “.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was asked on CBS when the committee — which interviewed Ornato and Engel — first heard the story about Trump trying to grab the steering wheel of his car. Schiff said he would not discuss details of past testimony, said the commission would welcome those men to testify again and also pointed to other parts of Hutchinson’s testimony that are not disputed.
Hutchinson also stood by his testimony in statements through his attorneys.
Fox News’ Lakia Atkins, Andres Del Aguila, David Spunt and Megan Thome contributed to this report.
Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. You can reach him at tyler.olson@fox.com and follow him on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.
Add Comment