'Bobby Engel and Tony Ornato were very, very close to President Trump, and some people accuse them of at times being enablers, and yes-men of the President,' Leonnig said.

Leonnig told MSNBC that Ornato was viewed as 'so pro-Trump' that he was suspected by one of former Vice President Mike Pence's top aides as someone who would 'try to whisk Vice President Pence away from the Capitol at a critical moment.'Īt the time of the riot, Pence was in the Capitol and set to certify the 2020 election votes that would put Biden in the White House. Notably, the incident involving the steering wheel was only one in a range of events that Hutchinson described under oath, some of which she witnessed herself. Many Trump supporters on social media have said that the pair's statements would 'debunk' Hutchinson's retelling of the incident and, in that vein, her entire testimony. However, several outlets have reported that Ornato and Engel are willing to testify before the House Committee investigating the Capitol attack that Trump didn't lunge for the wheel. Hutchinson said that Trump then lunged at Engel, although the altercation eventually ended, and Trump was taken to the West Wing. She said Trump was enraged by the refusal and that he lunged for the steering wheel, prompting Engel to grab Trump's arm and tell him to take his hand off the wheel. Hutchinson said that Ornato, who ran White House security, informed her that Engel, the head of Trump's detail, was with Trump in an armored SUV on January 6, 2021.Īccording to her testimony, Trump told Engel that he wanted to be taken to the Capitol, but the agent refused to take him there for safety reasons.

Leonnig told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday evening that many Secret Service agents in Trump's detail were also rooting for President Joe Biden's failure, and used their social media accounts to 'cheer on the insurrection' at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Leonnig is the author of the book 'Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service' and co-author of 'I Alone Can Fix It,' which delves into Trump's final year as president. Two top members of former President Donald Trump's personal security detail were 'very, very close' to Trump and are 'viewed as being aligned' with him, said Carol Leonnig, a long-time investigative reporter at The Washington Post. Many in Trump's detail cheered the Capitol riot, said Leonnig, whose book covers the Secret Service. The agents plan to dispute part of Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony regarding Trump, said Leonnig. Two Secret Service agents were close to Trump and seen as his enablers, said Carol Leonnig. A 'very large contingent' of former President Donald Trump's security detail had used their social media accounts to 'cheer on the insurrection' on January 6, said author Carol Leonnig.

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