'Donald Trump knew Jan 6 rioters were armed, scuffled with bodyguard'

WASHINGTON: A former White House aide has told a US Congressional Committee that on January 6, 2021 former President Donald Trump had sent a mob of armed supporters to the US Capitol and had bodily scuffled with a Secret Service bodyguard who prevented him from joining the rampaging rioters. The stunning revelations on Tuesday came from a surprise witness who testified before a select committee of the House of Representatives investigating the insurrection on January 6 when Trump's supporters ransacked the US Capitol, home to the Congress, to prevent a joint sitting of lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden winner of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has refused to accept defeat to his day and has continued to raise millions to keep up the lie.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a close aide to Trump's final chief of staff Mark Meadows, detailed a president unhinged in his final days in the White House.

"They are not here to hurt me," he said on January 6 when he asked for security apparatuses to be removed from the site of a rally where he and others had addressed supporters, who had subsequently marched on to the US Capitol. Hutchinson was within earshot when Trump made this remark.

Trump knew the mob was armed, as did his aides. But neither he nor some of his aides tried to prevent the rioters. He wanted the security apparatuses removed so more of his supporters could make it to the rally. That they were armed did not concern him at all, as he believed they wouldn't harm him.

Hutchinson's account of Trump's scuffle with the Secret Service agent was based on hearsay, she heard it from a top national security council official and the secret service agent involved in the tussle. After finishing the rally, Trump got into the armored presidential vehicle expecting it to take him to the Capitol, to join his supporters, But when the vehicle began moving away and in the direction of the White House, Trump demanded to be taken to the Capitol.

"The president had a very strong, a very angry response to that," Hutchinson said, as reported to her by another official."The president said something to the effect of, 'I'm the f-ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now,' to which the security detail chief said, 'Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing'." (IANS)

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