Witness says Trump knew Jan. 6 rioters had weapons: 'They're not here to hurt me'
Former President Donald Trump said on Jan. 6, 2021, that he didn't care that his supporters had weapons and that he wanted the Secret Service to allow them into his rally, a witness has testified.
Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, told the Jan. 6 committee that Trump was upset the day of the Capitol riot that the Secret Service was screening attendees of his rally for weapons. "He wanted it full, and he was angry that we weren't letting people through the mags with weapons," she said, referring to magnetometers used to screen for weapons. Trump spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 prior to his supporters storming the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the election results.
Hutchinson added that she overheard the formre president saying he didn't care that his supporters had weapons and that they should still be let through. "They're not here to hurt me," Hutchinson recalls Trump saying. "Take the effing mags away. Let my people in. They can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in. Take the effing mags away."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hutchinson also told the Jan. 6 committee during her bombshell testimony that Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limo to go to the Capitol on the day of the riot, revealing, "The president said something to the effect of, 'I'm the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.'"
