Was he requested to testify and he refused?
Tony Ornato, who also served as a top aide in Donald Trump’s White House, is the latest high-level official in the Secret Service to announce his departure recently.
www.politico.com
Ornato’s role in the Trump White House made national headlines after explosive testimony by former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who said he had briefed Trump and other White House officials about armed elements within Trump’s rally crowd on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021.
Although Ornato quickly signaled he was willing to testify in response to Hutchinson’s account, he has yet to appear for a new interview with the select committee, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Asked about the status of those discussion, Guglielmi said “We have continuously made Tony Ornato available.” He noted, however, that Ornato is now a private citizen and no longer a federal employee.
In a statement, Ornato said he retired today “to pursue a career in the private sector.”
“I retired from the U.S. Secret Service after more than 25 years of faithful service to my country, including serving the past five presidents,” he said. “I long-planned to retire and have been planning this transition for more than a year.”
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He did the smart thing. He quietly snuck away without speaking under oath. If he had been so concerned that Hutchinson had lied under oath, he should have run....not walk....over to the J6 committee and told them, under oath, that trump did not demand to be taken to the Capitol and that he did not grab for the steering wheel.
Personally, I would have loved to have seen trump drive up to the Capitol and stand on a podium and demand he be a two term president. Then there would have been no question that he was leading an insurrection. And that is what he wanted to do. The SS saved him from prison on January 6, 2021. So sad....