Secret Service to 'push back' against Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony: report

[garybeck]

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-secret-service-cassidy-hutchinson/

The Secret Service will push back against bombshell testimony by former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, according to reports by NBC News and ABC News.

"A source close to the Secret Service tells me both Bobby Engel, the lead agent, and the presidential limousine/SUV driver are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel," NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander reported.

UGH.

or

UGH?

[dchill]

1. Will they "push back" under oath, on live TV?

Okay.

[emulatorloo]

7. Doubt it. Pretty sure J6 Commitee has all its ducks in a row.

[dchill]

8. What I'm sayin'.

[emulatorloo]

12. Yep, you and I are in 100% agreement.

[FBaggins]

13. Affidavits seems more likely

I suppose they could be interviewed again (either option would be under oath), but why would the panel put them on TV if they're just going to hurt the narrative?

[emulatorloo]

15. I believe J6 commitee already has other testimony that backs up what you call 'the narrative'

Many former prosecutors on the committee, they are very knowledgeable about how to build a case.

[MichMan]

33. Is the narrative more important than finding out what happened?

[garybeck]

20. the article says yes

they are prepared to testify under oath

[emulatorloo]

26. No offense, Raw Story doesn't write original articles, they summarize other people's work

In this case they are just summarize two tweets.

Neither tweet is detailed, they don’t provide much information,and neither are articles. They are just tweets.

[librechik]

44. Good question.

The SS can do a lot of damage without proving their assertions. They should testify and fast to settle question. Or J6 can show the tape they have for corroboration. Surely they have it for this "emergency hearing," right?

Sure hope so.

[emulatorloo]

2. "a source told me" lol

Put up or shut up, that includes you too, Peter Alexander.

[Raven123]

3. We will see what happens, but it is a reminder of why DOJ proceeds carefully

[Miguelito Loveless]

4. She didn't claim to have seen it

She claimed it was recounted to her that way.

[SergeStorms]

27. Yes.

So suck it, SS. She never testified that she witnessed this or heard this herself.

Methinks the SS protests too much.

[FrankBooth]

5. "prepared" to testify means jack shit

So you can save the 'ugh' until after someone actually shows up, takes the oath, and testifies. And I wouldn't hold your breath.

Until then, these 'sources close to the SS' can continue to plant doubt into Hutchinson's testimony through headlines without having to put any skin in the game.

[Mr.Bill]

47. Yeah, remember when

Ginni Thomas was "prepared" to testify under oath?

[PortTack]

6. It's not the real issue anyway

[emulatorloo]

10. Yes. The real issue is Trump's "I DON'T F--KING CARE THAT THEY HAVE WEAPONS"

[regnaD kciN]

23. Sorry, but it IS an issue...

If the SS can cast doubt on whether she was telling the truth about the assault, it automatically throws every other part of her testimony into question.

[emulatorloo]

25. You misunderstand me. These SS 'sources' are indeed trying to distract and lie

to discredit her as you say.

My point was the assault story is not the important part of the testimony. These sources are trying to distract from Trump’s knowledge that his mob had guns and didn’t care. He even demanded the SS remove metal detectors so their guns wouldn’t get confiscated.

"They're not here to hurt me. Take the F'ing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here."

[Ocelot II]

9. Hutchinson testified only as to what Ornato told her.

And why would Ornato, a TFG loyalist, lie to her about the incident? He needs to be questioned under oath, too.

[emulatorloo]

11. Exactly. And Peter Alexander should know better than to take his "Source" at face value.

[emulatorloo]

16. See also "Another Conversation Ornato Says Never Happened"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=16868342

[Kaleva]

14. Will either testify that Tony didn't tell the story to Cassidy?

[mucifer]

18. more like testilying . That's probably what they will do. If there is no video or audio

it's easier to lie

[Sugarcoated]

41. But won't they then have to answer lots of other questions?

Maybe the limo story was a bread crumb?

[Novara]

17. One of the SS agents was sitting in the room when Ornato told Hutchinson

He didn't object then.

This is nothing more than a fucking distraction and I'll bet dollars to donuts that the orange motherfucker got to them. I just hope the committee has the evidence of witness tampering.

They want you to look at the shiny object and forget that the orange motherfucker encouraged an ARMED INSURRECTION. He knew they were armed, he wanted them to stay armed, and he wanted them to attack the Capitol. THAT is the story, not steering wheel grabbing. Not ketchup.

So if anyone you know starts pushing this bullshit, remind them what the real story is: an armed coup.

[Totally Tunsie]

22. CH specified it was Robert Engel that was in the room at the time.

[obamanut2012]

30. The same Bobby Engel who was driving the car to take Pence away

To who knows where? The Bobby Engel who already was depoed by the J^ Committee?

[Totally Tunsie]

32. The Bobby Engel who already was deposed by the J6 Committee.

I have not yet seen it confirmed that he was to be the driver of Pence's car.


https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-06-28/jan-6-bombshell-takeaways-surprise-hearing-cassidy-hutchinson

Hutchinson said Engel was in the room while Ornato relayed the story, and did not dispute it.

[Purrfessor]

19. Sounds like they are arguing semantics...

disagreeing with the use of “assault” and “lunge” to describe Trump’s actions.

[fishwax]

21. great, let them testify under oath (and answer all sorts of other questions, too)

[Demsrule86]

24. Those that push back need to be fired or be sent out of Washington to Podunk places where they

can't do harm...as they are clearly MAGA.

[gratuitous]

28. Remember what the January 6 Committee is doing

It's not a criminal proceeding. It's a proceeding to gather facts and evidence. Nobody's on trial. Nobody's in danger of being deprived of life, liberty or property in these proceedings.

At the close of every session, Chairman Thompson invites anyone with relevant information about the failed insurrection to contact the committee. Instead of contacting the committee, it appears these Secret Service toughguys called their favorite reporters (or had someone do it for them) to whine and moan about the mean aide and how they were going to testify under oath. You know, like Ginni Thomas said she was eager to do? What? She said what now? Oh. Well, that should free up some time for the committee's investigators.

I wonder if ace reporter Peter Alexander will favor us with the identity of his source when Engel and Oronato don't testify, and it looks like Alexander's source just used him to get the bogus story out? It used to be that when a source burned a reporter like that, the reporter didn't feel compelled to maintain their anonymity. We'll see if Alexander is more loyal to the truth or to his shady source.

[solara]

29. One wonders if this scenario

was a totally nasty set up by trump-humpers Tony Ornato & Bobby Engel to discredit Cassidy Hutchinson after her sworn testimony.They probably suspected she would share the 'story' they told her with the committee. So, now it seems they are prepared to testify under oath that the conversation itself never happened, thus poisoning her testimony as one big lie.

Did they call the vehicle the 'Beast', even though they knew it was an SUV? Or did she just assume that's what they meant because she didn't see trump leave.

Sounds like a GQP trick to me and perhaps an idea that a corrupt operative like Bannon might have designed.

Maybe Im just paranoid..

[mackdaddy]

31. Just two questions, under oath, Did Ornato tell this story, and was Engel there during telling.

If it was not true, then why did Engel not speak up?

If it is not under oath, then they are lying their asses off.

[chowder66]

43. Here is the video. Engel was in room when Ornato told her the story

Link to tweet

?

Neither of them corrected her or disputed it.

[frogmarch]

34. OK, agent Engel and the driver,

if trump didn't lunge for the steering wheel, did he reach for it? If he didn't assault either of you, did he gently, in a friendly manner, place his hands on or near the throat of one of you?

Please tell us how it really happened.

[arthritisR_US]

35. It's not the significant part of her testimony and I

wouldn’t believe a bloody thing those RW sods say!

[budkin]

36. These guys are Trump loyalists, check out this thread

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216868870

[Midnight Writer]

37. Doesn't matter. The story is out there and enough people have accepted it that it is now real.

I learned this from Republicans.

[LiberalFighter]

38. Require them to use a lie detector.

Or have an expert on tv interject on live tv anytime they lie.

Or better yet, explain to the SS that anytime they lie a light will blink red while they testify. Make them nervous.

[tishaLA]

39. Go ahead and open that door

because when they get you under oath, they aren't going to limit the questions to what happened in the Suburban. They'll ask about the mags, what they knew about weapons at the rally, what happened before and after in the WH, communications he might have had with aides and family members. They might even need to talk with the people who were assigned to Ivanka, Jared, Jr, and Eric as corroboration.

I welcome them challenging this minor, essentially immaterial detail.

[Midnight Writer]

40. Exactly. Get them under oath and ask them what really happened. Sounds good to me.

[Sugarcoated]

42. Maybe the limo story was a bread crumb

[Vinca]

45. That's fine as long as they do it under oath. In any case, Cassidy was reporting what she had

been told, not what she saw. I'd also like the valet under oath to hear more about the wannabe king breaking our fine china.

[BlueIdaho]

46. The same agency that can't keep their officers

Away from hookers, nose candy, and public displays of drunkenness? Are we sure they should be treated as reliable witnesses?