New media reports about Donald Trump’s behavior during and prior to last year’s Capitol riots confirm the testimony of witnesses and help clarify what he knew about the violent events of January 6, 2021.
Fifteen sources, including former government officials, aides and law enforcement officers, gave their insight into a Washington Post report published Friday. Several said Trump had suggested the idea of marching to the Capitol with his supporters multiple times after he lost the election, but they assumed he made the comments in a “funny way.”
So no arrangements were made for Trump to lead the crowd and no speech was written for him to deliver.
“There was no plan for what to do if Trump showed up,” an adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence told the Post. “Honestly, we didn’t think it would happen.”
An employee told the Post that none of the staff was even sure where Trump got the idea to march to the Capitol.
When Trump brought it up again on Jan. 4, two days before Congress was due to approve the election in favor of Joe Biden, senior staff reportedly warned him that it would be “logistically impossible and dangerous” to carry out this plan. reported the Post.
When Trump told the crowd at his January 6 rally that “we’re going to walk down” [to the Capitol] and I’ll be with you,” his staff was shocked.
“I told people we weren’t really going to go to the Capitol,” a senior staff member told the Post. “It never occurred to me that that was legit.”
Two Secret Service agents also spoke to CNN about what happened between Trump and his security detail as he left his January 6 rally in the presidential motorcade.
Those moments were then intensively researched Cassidy Hutchinsona former aide to Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, testified On Tuesday before the House committee investigating the riots, Tony Ornato, the White House deputy chief of staff for operations, told her that Trump had lost his temper when his Secret Service agents refused to drive him to the Capitol, to an agent. lunged and tried to grab the steering wheel.
The story has been circulating through the Secret Service for the past year, the agents told CNN. They were not in the car but heard several stories similar to Hutchinson’s.
“He kind of jumped forward — it wasn’t clear from the conversations I had that he was actually making physical contact, but he would have. I don’t know,” said one. attacked; they said he was trying to lunge over the seat – for whatever reason, no one had any idea.”
None of the agents told CNN they had heard stories of Trump trying to grab the wheel.
Sources speaking to the Post also commented on the car incident, with a former law enforcement officer saying three agents who were with Trump on Jan. 6 dispute that Trump ever grabbed or assaulted anyone or grabbed the wheel. However, the source said they do not dispute that Trump was furious with them.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.