On Tuesday, it was revealed that former President Trump had allegedly lunged at his Secret Service limo driver and attempted to grab the steering wheel on the morning of January 6, 2021, when he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to go to the Capitol after his speech at the White House Ellipse.
This was made public by former top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson during Tuesday’s congressional hearing into the January 6 Capitol riots.
Predictably all three evening news broadcasts led with the allegations against former President Trump. Six minutes before the three networks went live, NBC’s chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander tweeted that both Secret Service agents involved “are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.”
CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane were quick to hype the now false allegations
“Then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' top aide described the then-President's fits of rage, that included throwing plates of food, grabbing the steering wheel of the presidential limo, and lunging at a Secret Service agent. Hutchinson said Trump was furious that Secret Service agents were keeping some of his supporters outside of the White House ellipse because they had weapons,” O’Donnell announced.
MacFarlane gushed that “when the day began, Cassidy Hutchinson was a name and face unknown to most Americans. By the end of the day, she'd made history.”
While ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News both reported on the testimony given by Hutchinson but each noted that the Secret Service denies it and both agents are willing to testify under oath.
On World News Tonight, chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas reported that “a source close to the Secret Service just told me to expect that the Secret Service will push back against any allegation of an assault against an agent or President Trump reaching for the steering wheel.”
After having broken the news on Twitter, Alexander went on-air to let NBC viewers know that “a source close to the Secret Service tells NBC News that both the lead agent and the limo driver prepared to testify under oath, that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel.”
All three networks have spent the entire duration of the Pelosi-picked January 6 hearings hyping every allegation that it spewed. With the fact that none of these hearings allow for any cross-examination of witnesses, a blunder like this was only a matter of time.
This bias by omission by CBS Evening News was made possible thanks to the endorsement of Red Lobster. Their information is linked so you can let them know how you feel.
The relevant transcripts are below. Click “expand” to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
6/28/2022
6:43:50 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: And one more question on this, so, let's bring in our chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas because this was a significant piece of testimony, Pierre. Cassidy Hutchinson saying she was told that the former President lunged at that Secret Service agent in the presidential SUV. Curious what the Secret Service is saying about all of this tonight.
PIERRE THOMAS: David, the Secret Service so far is not commenting on specifics, but just informed me that they would like to respond under oath. Two sources familiar with the investigation confirm that President Trump had requested to go to the Capitol on January 6 and that the Secret Service refused due to security concerns. One of those sources telling me that the President did return to the vehicle after his speech on the morning of January 6 and asked agent Robert Engel if he could go to the Capitol. Engel said something to the effect of that being unwise or dangerous and that the motorcade was going to take the President back to the White House. A source close to the Secret Service just told me to expect that the Secret Service will push back against any allegation of an assault against an agent or President Trump reaching for the steering wheel, David.
CBS Evening News
6/28/2022
6:31:45 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: During the Watergate hearings 50 years ago, there was only one surprise witness. It was Alexander Butterfield, who revealed there was a White House taping system. Well, in the January 6 hearings, the surprise witness is Cassidy Hutchinson. Then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' top aide described the then-President's fits of rage, that included throwing plates of food, grabbing the steering wheel of the presidential limo, and lunging at a Secret Service agent. Hutchinson said Trump was furious that Secret Service agents were keeping some of his supporters outside of the White House ellipse because they had weapons.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: When the day began, Cassidy Hutchinson was a name and face unknown to most Americans. By the end of the day, she'd made history, including her description of an altercation in the presidential limo when his chief Secret Service agent, Bobby Engle, refused to bring then-President Donald Trump to the U.S. Capitol, to which he just directed the crowd on January 6.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: The President said something to the effect of, ‘I'm the f'ing President. Take me up to the Capitol now.’ To which Bobby responded, ‘Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing’.The President reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel. Mr. Engel grabbed his arm, 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." Mr. Trump then used his free hand to lunge towards Bobby Engle.
NBC Nightly News
6/28/2022
7:06:59 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Peter, I know you've just spoken to a source who has a strong response to Hutchinson's allegations.
Yeah, that's right, tonight, late tonight in fact, Lester, a source close to the Secret Service tells NBC News that both the lead agent and the limo driver prepared to testify under oath, that neither man was assaulted and that Mr. Trump never lunged for the steering wheel. Meanwhile, Hutchinson also said today that she heard Mr. Trump had agreed to deliver a speech on January 7 condemning the violence only after aides warned him that the 25th Amendment might be used. We should note we also reached out to Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, Lester. So far they have not commented.
