‘I Felt Very Strong’: Trump Mockingly Reenacts Story of Choking Secret Service Agent on January 6 For Highly Amused CPAC Crowd
In his speech at CPAC Texas on Saturday, ex-president Donald Trump mocked the story that Cassidy Hutchison, former aide to then chief of staff Mark Meadows, related to the House Select Committee in her testimony regarding the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Hutchison testified that she was told by mer Trump official Tony Ornato that Trump “lunged” at Secret Service agent Robert “Bobby” Engel in a fit of rage over not being driven to the Capitol building during the riot. The testimony has been the subject of extensive media coverage, and the impetus for possible witness intimidation on the part of the ex-president.
Trump made light of the entire thing in his remarks at CPAC on Saturday, and despite the extensive coverage of the allegation and fallout over the weeks since the hearing, he claimed that “they” don’t want to talk about it.
“You know what else they don’t want to talk about?” said Trump. “How about that phony story. I’m sitting in the back of The Beast.”
The crowd laughed, and Trump said, “I wasn’t sure if I should be honored. Because I felt very strong.”
He then retold the story in his own words, complete with partial reenactment, joking about being flattered at the idea he could take on two “very strong” Secret Service agents.
And I had these two big, strong Secret Service guys, the one guy could lift 350 lbs, no problem. And I said, take me to the Capitol. ‘No sir, can’t do it.’
So I grabbed the steering wheel, to commandeer the thing. And he rebuffed me, she said. He rebuffed. Interesting way– he rebuffed me, yeah like this. He rebuffed me.
So my hands fell around another powerful guy. Strong as hell. I know these people, these are very strong people. It’s just not my deal. And I started to choke him. I felt, you know. So when the story came out, some people said, ‘I never knew you were that strong physically.’
And then, as they said, I started throwing food all over the White House. Now I have too much respect for the White House, but that somebody could sort of believe, you know, that you could.
But to think that I’m going to be jumping into the seat, grabbing a wheel, being rebuffed. grabbing this big powerful guy, his neck is like this, and grabbed me I’m going to take him.
Oh boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. What we have to put– and guess what? The Secret Service put out an announce–which they never do, put out an announcement that it never happened, which everyone knew anyway. But they won’t interview anybody from the Secret Service because they don’t want to hear that. And I still see the Times writing about it like it’s something that happened.
The bit about throwing food is a reference to other testimony from Hutchison alleging that Trump threw food at the wall in a fit of rage about the election.
Watch the clip above, via C-SPAN.
