Someone who was part of former President Donald Trump’s motorcade during the infamous events of January 6, 2021, has verified the testimony of former Trump administration aide Cassidy Hutchinson, whose hearing provided congress with some of the most damning information about Trump’s actions that day to that point.
Mark Robinson, a retired D.C. police officer, was part of Trump’s motorcade on Jan. 6, and recently spoke with Don Lemon on CNN, claiming that Trump was “upset” that he could not join some of his followers as they marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol.
Robinson said:
“We’ve heard it several times while it was on the motorcade. I think during the speech, shortly thereafter, he had finished the speech, that the president was getting into the motorcade and he was upset. And he adamantly wanted to go to the Capitol. And even when we departed from the Ellipse, it was repeated again…. It was a heated argument in the limo. And he wanted to definitely go to the Capitol.”
Marita Vlachou of HuffPost noted that Robinson’s comments to Lemon “appear to be consistent with White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony that Trump got into a physical altercation with his Secret Service detail on January 6, and tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limousine in the hope of driving to the Capitol.”
Hutchinson testified before the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6 that members of the Secret Service insisted Trump return to the White House, despite his demands to join the marchers.
Hutchinson said in her Testimony:
“The president reached up toward the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. (Secret Service agent Bobby) 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.’”
Robinson argued the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building probably would have been worse if Trump had marched with his supporters, telling Lemon:
“I think it would have probably encouraged more rioting. And (the rioters would have) felt supported. If the presidential motorcade came in support of them…. I think the insurrectionists probably would have felt as though they had the support of the president.”
