Tony Ornato, Trump loyalist at heart of explosive Jan. 6 probe, retires from Secret Service

Tony Ornato, a top White House official who controversially oversaw former President Donald Trump’s security detail on Jan. 6, has announced his retirement from the Secret Service.

The onetime deputy White House chief of staff played a crucial but murky role in the drama over Trump’s attempt to force agents to let him lead the attack on the Capitol

Ornato claimed his retirement had nothing to do with Jan. 6 or the glare of publicity he attracted during the committee’s blockbuster hearings.

“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,” Ornato said in a statement. “I long planned to retire and have been planning this transition for more than a year.”

Then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stand on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom. On Friday, July 5, 2019, Background left is Special Agent in Charge Anthony Ornato. (Susan Walsh/)

Ornato served as a Secret Service agent for years but was tapped by Trump to be a top White House security official, a political role.

He burst into the limelight when bombshell witness Cassidy Hutchinson testified under oath to the Jan. 6 committee that Ornato told her about Trump’s effort to go to the Capitol after his fiery speech to a mob of supporters.

Hutchinson said Ornato told her that Trump physically accosted lead agent Richard Engels and angrily ordered Engels to drive the presidential SUV to the Capitol.

Ornato, who returned to the Secret Service after Trump left office, and Engels have denied Hutchinson’s account through a Secret Service spokesman. But they both refused to do so under oath.

He had earlier testified to the committee behind closed doors but reportedly did not describe the SUV incident in detail.

Ornato has a reputation as a fierce Trump loyalist, which may explain why he made the unusual move to the White House staff.

The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny over its actions on Jan. 6. It claims to have lost text messages from agents from the dramatic day in a pre-planned tech overhaul.