Sgt Mark Robinson of the DC metro police testified in front of the US House Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riots. He was assigned to the then-President Donald Trump‘s motorcade on the day and stated that the motorcade was halted for 45 minutes.
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Robinson noted that”the president was upset,” and that Trump was adamant about going to the Capitol, despite the police being “aware of armed individuals “in trees” along Constitution Avenue,” on January 6, 2021.
“He (Trump) was adamant about going to the Capitol and there was a heated argument (with the motorcade) about that,” Robinson said in his statement.
When asked by the committee if “heated” was a term he was using or if it was something described to him by the TSA agent, Robinson clarified, “It was described by the TSA agent that the president was upset and he was saying there was a heated argument or discussion about going to the Capitol.”
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When asked, “About how many times would you say you have been part of that motorcade with a president?” Robinson replied with a chuckle “probably over a 100 times.”
Robinson was then asked, “In that 100 times have you ever witnessed another discussion or an argument or a heated discussion with a president – where the president was contradicting where you are supposed to go or what the Secret Service believed was safe?” His reply was a prompt, “No.”
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“I was monitoring the traffic so I could hear some of the units pointing out to individuals that there were individuals armed along Constitution Avenue that were armed, that were up in the trees and I can [sic] hear the units responding to those individuals. So there’s always a concern when there is a POTUS in the area,” Robinson added.
The eighth January 6 Capitol riots hearing is expected to focus on Trump’s actions on the day.
