According to a U.S. House of Representatives report issued on March 11, the Secret Service agent driving the SUV with President Donald Trump inside on Jan. 6, 2021, refuted claims that Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel. The agent, whose identity was not disclosed by lawmakers, stated to a House panel that he did not witness any such actions by the former president.
The agent clarified that Trump “never grabbed the steering wheel” and did not attempt to reach or lunge toward it. This testimony was reviewed by The Epoch Times, with the transcript revealing the agent’s account of the events.
While the testimony was initially given to the Democrat-dominated select committee investigating Jan. 6, it was not publicly released by the committee. However, quotes from the testimony were included in a new interim report by House Republicans, who are conducting their own investigation into the committee’s work.
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson also testified to the panel during her fourth interview in 2022, claiming she was informed by Secret Service agent Anthony Ornato about Trump’s alleged actions. According to Hutchinson, Ornato recounted a story in which Trump became upset after being informed he would be taken back to the White House instead of the Capitol. Hutchinson claimed that Trump lunged forward and attempted to grab the steering wheel, expressing anger towards the response.
House Republicans criticized the select committee for validating and promoting Hutchinson’s version of events despite the driver’s testimony refuting her claims. They accused the committee of withholding the full transcript of the driver’s testimony and only selectively mentioning it in their final report.
