Donald Trump knew supporters had weapons when he urged them to storm the Capitol to overturn election result, ex-White House aide says
Image source, Getty ImagesDonald Trump knew supporters had weapons when he urged them to storm the Capitol to overturn election result, ex-White House aide says
The former aide testified to the committee probing the 6 January riots that Mr Trump and his top staffers knew of the potential for violence.
But a planned rally, which attorney Rudy Giuliani said would make Mr Trump “look powerful”, went ahead.
The president also demanded to join the march on the Capitol himself, she said.
In a series of public hearings, the 6 January committee has sought to link the former president directly to the efforts to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.
Up until now, the congressional panel was missing a key piece of the puzzle – the testimony of someone who could offer a first-hand account of the situation in the White House in the hours before the attack.
But at its sixth hearing – hastily announced with what the committee said was the revelation of new evidence – Cassidy Hutchinson filled in the blanks.
As principal advisor to Mr Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, Ms Hutchinson sat less than 10 seconds from the Oval Office, spoke daily with Mr Meadows, and was the chief West Wing liaison to Capitol Hill.
She recounted that several top officials warned repeatedly that Mr Trump’s rally on 6 January could spiral out of control.
But Mr Meadows and others downplayed the potential for violence.
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