DC police officer corroborates story that Trump got in ‘heated argument’ in vehicle on Jan. 6

A Washington, D.C., police officer corroborated previous testimony Thursday that former President Trump got into a “heated discussion” about going to the Capitol with his supporters after his speech on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Jan. 6 panel presented clips of testimony from Sgt. Mark Robinson (Ret.) of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, who was assigned to Trump’s motorcade on Jan. 6. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a member of the select committee, said Robinson was in the lead vehicle with the Secret Service agent overseeing the motorcade, known as the TS agent.

During previous testimony behind closed doors, Robinson, who said he had been part of the presidential motorcade more than 100 times, described what he was told about Trump’s conduct in the presidential vehicle.

“The only description I received was that the president was upset and that he was adamant about going to the Capitol and that there was a heated discussion about that,” Robinson told the committee.

He said the TS agent described it as “heated.”

“Meaning that the president was upset and he was saying there was a heated argument or discussion about going to the Capitol,” Robinson said.

During a public hearing last month, former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the Jan. 6 select committee about an altercation that had taken place with Trump in the presidential vehicle when the president was told he could not go to the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse.

Hutchinson said she was told that Trump was “irate” and said something to the effect of “I’m the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now.”

“When Bobby had relayed to him we’re not, we don’t have the assets to do it, it’s not secure, we’re going back to the West Wing, the president had a very strong, a very angry response to that,” Hutchinson said, referring to Robert Engel, who led Trump’s security details and was in the presidential vehicle at the time of the episode.

Hutchinson said Trump then attempted to grab the steering wheel in his vehicle when he was told he would not be joining his supporters at the Capitol following his speech on the Ellipse.

Hutchinson said he heard about the incident from Engel and White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato.

Trump denied lunging at the Secret Service on Jan. 6 in an interview with Newsmax following Hutchinson’s hearing.

“She said I jumped from a car and started strangling — think of this — started strangling a Secret Service agent who I know very well,” Trump said. “Who would do that? I would grab a Secret Service person by the throat?”

Multiple outlets also reported after the hearing that Engel and the driver of the vehicle were willing to testify that they were not assaulted by Trump, and that the ex-president did not attempt to take hold of the steering wheel.

The committee also presented previous testimony on Thursday from a former Trump White House employee, who was with Ornato and Engel after the violence began unfolding on television.

The employee told the committee that Ornato “expressed to me that the president was irate” when Engel refused to take him to the Capitol, according to a transcript of the individual’s interview.