Flanked by members of the Secret Service, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, center, signs for supporters as stage lights paint the dance floor following an appearance on June 16, 2016 at Gilley's in Dallas, Texas. Trump arrived in Texas on Thursday with plans to hold rallies and fundraisers.
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.Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
  • Carol Leonnig said that two Secret Service agents were close to Trump.

  • Leonnig said that part of Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony about Trump would be disputed by the agents.

  • Leonnig said that many in Trump's detail cheered the Capitol riot.

Carol Leonnig, a long time investigative reporter at The Washington Post, said that two top members of Donald Trump's personal security detail were very close to him.

Leonnig is the author of "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service" and co-author of "I Alone Can Fix It."

Leonnig told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday evening that many Secret Service agents in Trump's detail were rooting for Biden to fail and that they used their social media accounts to "cheer on the insurrection" at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Leonnig said that there was a large contingent of Donald Trump's detail, who were personally cheering for Biden to fail, and some of them even took to their personal media accounts to cheer on the insurrection. It's problematic.

She said that they are seen as being aligned with Donald Trump, which cuts against them.

"If they testify under oath: 'This is what happened,' I think that's important because Cassidy Hutchinson can only say what she heard," Leonning said.

—Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) June 29, 2022

One component of a bombshell testimony by Hutchinson, a former top White House aide, was about Trump's behavior in the days leading up to and during the Capitol riot.

The head of Trump's detail was with the president in an armored SUV on January 6, 2021.

According to her testimony, Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, but the agent wouldn't let him.

She said that Trump lunged for the steering wheel after being told to take his hand off the wheel. Although the altercation ended, Trump was taken to the West Wing.

The House Committee investigating the Capitol attack that Trump didn't lunge for the wheel is interested in hearing from Ornato and Engel.

The pair's statements would "debunk" Hutchinson's recollection of the incident and her entire testimony, according to many Trump supporters on social media.

The steering wheel incident was one of many that Hutchinson described under oath.

Leonnig told MSNBC that one of Vice President Mike Pence's top aides suspected Ornato of trying to whisk him away from the Capitol at a crucial time.

The 2020 election votes that would put Biden in the White House were to be certified by Pence at the time of the riots.

Leonnig said that Bobby and Tony were very close to the President and that some people accused them of being "yes-men of the President". Also Tony Ornato.

She said that they were frustrated by other agents who were more focused on security or being independent.

Leonnig said that both of the individuals lost credibility because of how close they were to Trump.

Business Insider has an article on it.