The Hutchinson Testimony: Trump, Meadows, and the SUV

Liz CheneyMs. Hutchinson, can you describe what you witnessed on the morning of January 6th?

Cassidy HutchinsonI was in the office adjacent to Mr. Meadows' office. I could hear Mr. Giuliani was there. The President was meeting with the group. I heard Mr. Giuliani say something to the effect of, we're going to the Capitol. It's going to be great. The President is going to be there. He's going to look powerful.

CheneyAnd what was Mr. Meadows' reaction?

HutchinsonMr. Meadows seemed uneasy. He was pacing. He didn't engage with the conversation in the same way that Mr. Giuliani was. He looked concerned.

CheneyDid you speak with Mr. Meadows about it?

HutchinsonI did. After the meeting broke up, I asked Mr. Meadows if he was okay. He said, "Things might get real, real bad on January 6th."

HutchinsonI received a call from Tony Ornato. He told me that the Secret Service had received reports that individuals at the rally were armed. They had weapons. They had firearms. They had bear spray. They had body armor. And they were not going through the magnetometers because they didn't want to be detected.

CheneyAnd you relayed this to Mr. Meadows?

HutchinsonYes. I went into Mr. Meadows' office and told him. He was on his phone. He didn't look up. He just said, "All right. Anything else?"

CheneyHe didn't react to the fact that people at the rally had weapons?

HutchinsonHe did not. He was scrolling through his phone. I don't think he even looked up at me.

CheneyMs. Hutchinson, can you tell us what Mr. Ornato told you about what happened in the presidential vehicle?

HutchinsonMr. Ornato told me that when the President got into the vehicle after the speech at the Ellipse, he was under the impression that he was going to the Capitol. When Bobby Engel, the head of his Secret Service detail, told him that they were returning to the White House, the President became irate.

CheneyWhat did Mr. Ornato say the President did?

HutchinsonMr. Ornato said that the President reached up to the front of the vehicle to grab the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm and said, "Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing. We're not going to the Capitol." The President then used his free hand to lunge at Mr. Engel. And he said, "I'm the f---ing President. Take me up to the Capitol now."

CheneyAnd Mr. Engel restrained him?

HutchinsonMr. Engel said, "Sir, you need to take your hand off the steering wheel. We're going back to the West Wing."

CheneyWas Mr. Meadows present when Mr. Ornato told you this?

HutchinsonMr. Meadows was in the room. He was standing by the window. He didn't contradict any of it. He didn't say anything. He just stood there.

CheneyMs. Hutchinson, what did you hear about the Vice President during the attack?

HutchinsonMr. Cipollone, the White House Counsel, came into Mr. Meadows' office. He was very agitated. He said, "Mark, we need to do something more. They're literally calling for the Vice President to be f---ing hung."

CheneyAnd what did Mr. Meadows say?

HutchinsonMr. Meadows said, "You heard him, Pat. He thinks Mike deserves it. He doesn't think they're doing anything wrong."

Cheney"He" meaning the President?

HutchinsonYes. Mr. Meadows said, "He thinks Mike deserves it."

CheneyMs. Hutchinson, can you describe the note you saw on Mr. Meadows' desk?

HutchinsonI saw a handwritten note on his desk. It was in the President's handwriting. I recognized it. It said, in substance, that the Vice President had the authority to send electoral votes back to the states.

CheneyAnd this was a plan that the President was pursuing?

HutchinsonIt appeared to be a talking point. Mr. Meadows was working on the statement that the President would deliver. The note was part of the preparation for that.

CheneyAnd you understood this to be related to the effort to overturn the election?

HutchinsonI understood it to be part of the effort to have the Vice President reject electors or send them back to the states. Yes.