Jan. 6 hearing witness: Irate Trump grabbed wheel, demanded to go to Capitol

Cassidy Hutchinson said Trump was warned about potential violence, crimes.

ByLibby Cathey and Alexandra Hutzler
Last Updated: July 21, 2022, 7:57 PM EDT

The House select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol attack heard stunning testimony on Tuesday from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

She told the committee and an international TV audience that then-President Donald Trump was warned about potential violence and crimes, that he wanted supporters with weapons let into his Jan. 6 rally, and that she was told he then demanded his security detail take him to the Capitol, going so far as to grab the wheel of the presidential SUV.

This was the sixth hearing this month investigating what the committee says was the conspiracy by Trump and his allies to overturn the election.

Here is how the hearing unfolded:

Jun 28, 2022, 9:57 AM EDT

Surprise hearing signals committee's urgency

The House select committee will convene Tuesday afternoon for a surprise public hearing, signaling apparent urgency among members to reveal further findings from their year-long inquiry.

The hearing, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, will see the committee "present recently obtained evidence and receive witness testimony," the group said in a news release Monday.

PHOTO: U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar, Committee Chairperson Rep. Bennie Thompson and Committee Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, attend a public hearing to investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the US Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 16, 2022.
Members of the U.S. House Select Committee, U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar, Committee Chairperson Rep. Bennie Thompson and Committee Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, attend the third of eight planned public hearings to investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 16, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a top adviser to Donald Trump's last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is expected to testify, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Punchbowl News first reported her appearance.

Hutchinson is expected to put a voice to many of the internal White House interactions involving the events of Jan. 6 and offer significant insight into Meadows' actions and interactions with Trump.

Related Topics