Trump knew Jan. 6 rioters were armed -former aide
STORY: Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, described Trump supporters being armed with AR-15-style rifles and other weapons in testimony on Tuesday to the House of Representatives select committee.
Instead, Trump expressed anger that the Secret Service, charged with protecting the president, was using metal-detecting magnetometers to keep armed people out of the fenced-off area where he gave a fiery speech in which he repeated his false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud.
"Take the effing mags away; they're not here to hurt me," Hutchinson quoted Trump as saying that morning, referring to the weapons that were being carried.
Magnetometers dot U.S. government buildings and outdoor events throughout Washington to protect officials and tourists.
The hastily called hearing marked the first time this month, during six hearings, that a former White House official appeared for live testimony.
Speaking in soft but assured tones, Hutchinson painted a picture of panicked White House officials bristling at the possibility of Trump joining what was to become a violent mob pushing its way into the Capitol, hunting for then-Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers who were then certifying the victory of Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican Trump in the 2020 election.
