1/6 Panel Interviewing Former Secret Service Agent Tony Ornato | WGN Radio 720
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol said Tuesday it was a former Secret Service agent about the actions of Donald Trump on the day of the riot, according to a person familiar with the matter. I will be interviewing Tony Ornato.
This is the third time the committee has interviewed Ornato. Lawmakers sought Trump’s testimony to corroborate what other witnesses said about his actions on January 6, 2021, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Benny Thompson, told reporters earlier this month, “There are some concerns with the service and whether some members were less candid about what really happened. Regardless.
Former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson publicly testified this summer about a conversation she had with Ornert at the White House on January 6, 2021. The Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol after a rally in the Ellipse.
“The president said something to the effect of, ‘I’m a fake president. Take me to the Capitol now,'” Hutchinson told lawmakers.
“The president reached out to the front of the car to grab the wheel. Trump lunged at Bobby Engel with his free hand,” she testified.
Hutchinson’s account of the physical altercation was quickly challenged by Secret Service officials. demanded to join a mob of supporters and eventually broke through the Capitol.
“I interviewed Mr. Ornaert several times,” said panel member Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, in response to questions about the credibility of Hutchinson’s testimony. “His memory doesn’t seem to be as accurate as hers. We welcome them back if they wish to.”
Allies of Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows also questioned some details of Hutchinson’s testimony, much of it secondary information. told the Associated Press that Hutchinson’s testimony “did not survive five minutes of basic cross-examination.”
However, several prominent Republicans rallied in Hutchinson’s defense, saying the young aide was known for his proximity to Meadows and often accompanied him to meetings.
The committee hopes Ornato’s latest testimony will help settle conflicting reports about Trump’s ferocious attempts to stay in power on a day of riots. We are seeking Ornato’s testimony to dig deeper into what the Secret Service knew about the attack.
A nine-member committee obtained more than one million pages of documents and correspondence from authorities as part of the subpoena. The material will be included in a comprehensive report being compiled by the Commission and will be released by the end of the year.
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