Former President Trump denied lunging at his Secret Service security on Jan. 6 after they refused to take him to the Capitol when he wanted to march alongside his supporters after a rally.

The revelation came from Cassidy Hutchinson, a special assistant to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and the president, who testified in a last-minute hearing on Tuesday about hearing the story from two other officials.

“She said I jumped from a car and started strangling – think of this – started strangling a Secret Service agent who I know very well,” Trump said in an interview with conservative news outlet Newsmax. “Who would do that? I would grab a Secret Service person by the throat?”

Hutchinson said she learned of the episode from Tony Ornato, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, and Robert Engel, the special agent in charge for Secret Service on Jan. 6.

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Several news outlets have since reported Engel and the driver are prepared to testify that neither was assaulted by Trump and that the former president did not try to grab the steering wheel.

“It was very nice that they came to my defense. I thought it was incredible actually. Because some whack job can say this stuff and get away with it,” Trump said, referring to Hutchinson.

The Secret Service has also said they will provide further details, but have thus far not done so.

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Trump also countered another key detail from Hutchinson’s testimony – that White House staff were warned that some in the crowd at the president’s rally were heavily armed and had guns – and that Trump wanted to do away with screening because it was affecting his crowd size.

“[She] said that I wanted guns at my rally. I didn’t want guns. I have to speak too and I don’t want guns for anybody,” Trump said during the interview.

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