Secret Service official Tony Ornato announces retirement

Tony Ornato, who is the former head of Donald Trump’s White House team, has retired from the Secret Service.

Ornato was put in the limelight during a session with the January 6 committee when Trump’s former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson claimed that “irate” Donald Trump attempted to commandeer control of his own limo, which included an attack on a Secret Service agent, when they refused to take him on an unscheduled trip to the Capitol on January 6th.

According to Hutchinson, Ornato recalled Trump shouting: “I’m the f***ing president. Take me up to the Capitol now.”

“I retired from the US Secret Service after more than 25 years of faithful service to my country, including serving the past five presidents,” Ornato said on Monday, the New York Times reports.

Ornato went on to say that he had “long” been planning to retire, stating that it was in his mind for a year. He also confirmed that he retired “to pursue a career in the private sector.”

Ornato has not yet publicly addressed the incident, however anonymous sources close to him and the Secret Service have told reporters that Ornato has informed them that the scuffle inside the limo didn’t happen.

The Secret Service consistently stated its willingness to co-operate with the January 6 inquiry, and also made Ornato available for interviews and testimony while he was still on the books as a federal employee.