By Richard Cowan and Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Then-President Donald Trump dismissed concerns that supporters were armed with guns at his Jan. 6, 2021, rally preceding the U.S. Capitol riot, and he later tried to grab the steering wheel of his Secret Service limousine in a failed bid to direct it to the Capitol, a former aide testified on Tuesday.
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.
Following the rally, Hutchinson testified, Trump got into an altercation with Secret Service agents who were refusing to drive him to the Capitol as his supporters stormed the historic building.
"'I'm the effing president. Take me up to the Capitol now,'" Hutchinson quoted an irate Trump as saying. She added that...
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