- Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Trump lunged at an SUV steering wheel on January 6.
- Her testimony came into question after it was said that Tony Ornato, another WH official, denied it.
- But the committee in its final report says "several sources" confirm a "furious interaction" in the SUV.
In an executive summary of its final report released on Monday, the January 6 committee said that it received confirmation from several sources that former President Donald Trump engaged in a "furious interaction" in his SUV on January 6, 2021.
Details of the altercation first became public in June, when former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson provided explosive testimony to the committee during a public hearing.
She said at the time that Tony Ornato, then the White House deputy chief of staff, told her that Trump lunged at the steering wheel inside a presidential SUV after his rally on the Ellipse when he was informed by Secret Service agent Bobby Engel that he would not be able to go to the Capitol due to security concerns.
Hutchinson testified that Ornato told her that Trump "said something to the effect of, 'I'm the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now," and that Ornato "motioned towards his clavicles" when recounting the encounter with Engel.
Her testimony was later called into question by anonymous sources close to the Secret Service, who said agents were prepared to testify under oath that her account was not true. Ornato was also reported to have denied the interaction, though he didn't do so publicly.
But in its report, the committee said it had evidence from "several sources" about a "furious interaction" taking place in the SUV. The committee said those sources included "multiple members of the Secret Service, a member of the Metropolitan police, and national security officials in the White House," who described Trump's behavior during the interaction as "irate," "furious," "insistent," "profane" and "heated."
The employee also said a second White House employee with "national security responsibilities" said Ornato told them that Trump was "angry that he couldn't go right away" to the Capitol.
The committee did not specifically mention a lunging motion in the documents released Monday.
Ornato spoke with the committee in November, and said during that interview he "does not recall that he conveyed the information to Cassidy Hutchinson regarding the SUV." But the committee also said it was "skeptical of Ornato's account."
The committee has not yet released the transcript of Ornato's testimony to the committee, but is expected to do on Wednesday.
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