WATCH: Twitter Sleuths Think They’ve Found Video of Trump Lunging for Steering Wheel

Tommy ChristopherJul 1st, 2022, 12:55 pm
 

Twitter sleuths think they’ve found video evidence of then-President Donald Trump‘s alleged physical altercation inside a presidential SUV when Secret Service refused to take him to the Capitol on January 6.

Cassidy Hutchinson testified at Tuesday’s surprise January 6 hearing about a wild scene in a presidential SUV as Trump pulled away from his “Stop the Steal” rally – still convinced he was going on to the Capitol.

Hutchinson told the committee that Trump cursed his Secret Service team out and even physically attacked Robert Engel, the head of his detail — at one point grabbing the wheel — when he was informed they would not take him to the Capitol:

The president had a very strong, very angry response to that.

Tony [Ornato, then-White House deputy chief if staff] described him as being irate. 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. Engels 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 Engel and Mr., when Mr. Ornato had recounted the story to me, he had motioned towards his clavicles.

Trump and his defenders have seized on the fact that multiple sources insist the story will eventually be contradicted to some degree under oath by Engel and Ornato, but blue-check Twitter thinks “Active Measures” filmmaker Jack Bryan has the goods.

“Trump reaching for steering wheel in four frames,” Bryan wrote above the promised four frames:

Bryan added the source video for good measure, as well as a zoomed version of his own devising:

Journalists, political and media figures, and other verified users weighed in on the Abraham Zapruder-reminiscent thread — some more skeptically than others:

One Republican congressional candidate tweeted video of the incident that was at once clearer yet less convincing:

As many have pointed out, reports that Ornato and Engel will testify under oath aren’t the same as actually testifying under oath, but allow them to muddy Hutchinson’s testimony for days or weeks without any cost over what may or may not end up being subjective or minor discrepancies.

Watch the source video above via NBC.

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