‘This is a bombshell’: Trump aides left speechless by Hutchinson testimony

Trump was already bracing for an explosive day of testimony from Hutchinson, who previously told the House select committee that the former President approved of rioters chanting violent threats against Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, 2021.

“This is a bombshell. It’s stunning. It’s shocking. The story about ‘The Beast’ – I don’t have words. It’s just stunning,” said one Trump adviser, referring to the presidential limousine.

“This paints a picture of Trump completely unhinged and completely losing all control which, for his base, they think of him as someone who is in command at all times. This completely flies in the face of that,” the adviser added.

The Trump adviser, who was in a group text chat with several other Trump aides and allies as the hearing played out, said that “no one is taking this lightly.”

>Trump has previously denied reporting on Hutchinson’s leaked testimony, claiming on his Truth Social platform earlier this month that he “never said, or even thought of saying, ‘Hang Mike Pence.’”

>“This is either a made up story by somebody looking to become a star, or fake news!” he wrote at the time.

>But a person close to Trump said he was nervous about Tuesday’s hearing, which features live testimony from Hutchinson. Prior to the committee’s announcement on Monday, this person said Trump was feeling triumphant amid back-to-back Supreme Court decisions protecting a right to conceal carry a gun and ending the constitutional right to abortion.