Former WH Aide Says Trump Wanted to Go to the Capitol on Jan. 6, Was Aware Protesters Were Armed

On Tuesday, the House January 6 committee heard testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to President Donald Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows. 

Hutchinson, 26, detailed conversations she had leading up to Jan. 6 with Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Hutchinson said Giuliani told her on Jan. 2 that Jan. 6 would see Trump at the Capitol with members of Congress. She said Meadows later told her that “things might get real, real bad” on Jan. 6. 

Hutchinson said Trump was aware that his supporters were armed when they attended his Jan. 6 rally, but he insisted on letting them in because “they’re not here to hurt me.” Hutchinson also said she was told Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, but when staff said it wasn't possible, Trump lunged at a secret service agent and tried to grab the presidential vehicle's steering wheel. After a brief recess, Hutchinson described efforts to get Trump to release a statement in the riot's aftermath. Following Hutchinson's testimony, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) revealed evidence of possible intimidation of Jan. 6 witnesses. Trump responded to Hutchinson's testimony on Truth Social, writing that "I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and ‘leaker’)."

Coverage was prominently featured across the spectrum on Tuesday, often including sensational language like “bombshell” and “attacked.” As with previous hearings, CNN (Left bias) stood out by including the tagline, “Attack on Democracy.” Update 7/1/22: Hutchinson is 26 years old, not 25; several outlets inaccurately reported that Hutchinson was 25 the day of the hearing.