The Justice Department is asking a federal grand jury to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, alleging that she gave false testimony to Congress about President Donald Trump’s conduct during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Hutchinson, now 29, became a central figure in the House January 6 Committee’s investigation after offering damaging testimony about Trump’s actions and state of mind.
During a nationally watched 2022 hearing, she said Trump seemed untroubled by reports that some supporters at his rally were carrying weapons. According to Hutchinson, he remarked that the crowd was “not here to hurt me” and later “lunged” at the Secret Service agent driving him away from the Capitol.
The Justice Department launched its federal criminal investigation into Hutchinson earlier this year, as the Daily Mail previously reported. The inquiry was initiated by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi only weeks before she left the department.
Punchbowl News was the first outlet to report that federal prosecutors are now pursuing an indictment.
The case is being handled by prosecutors in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, which is led by Trump ally Harmeet Dhillon. Prosecutors began presenting evidence to a federal grand jury earlier this week.
More testimony and evidence are expected to be presented later this month. Hutchinson, however, has reportedly not been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury.
Hutchinson confirmed late last month that she is the subject of a federal criminal investigation.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a senior aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is sworn in before testifying about the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol
Supporters of President Donald Trump clash with law enforcement officers near a doorway they forced open at the US Capitol
President Donald Trump, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appear at a news conference
Hutchinson said last month that she intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment rights if she is ordered to testify.
The decision to place the investigation under the Civil Rights Division is significant. The division has traditionally dealt with alleged discrimination involving race, sex, age, religion and other protected categories, but its role has been substantially reshaped during Trump’s second term under Dhillon’s leadership.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has also indicated that the investigation could proceed. Speaking to reporters earlier this year, he said Trump had both “the right” and “the duty” to seek investigations into people suspected of breaking the law.
In March, Congressman Barry Loudermilk, chairman of the House Republicans’ still-active January 6 Committee, referred Hutchinson’s case to the Justice Department and urged prosecutors to investigate her.
Loudermilk has accused Hutchinson, who served under Trump’s first-term White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, of providing false information in her congressional testimony.
Hutchinson testified that Trump was aware of the potential for violence among the January 6 protesters but nevertheless encouraged them to proceed to the Capitol.
She also said she had been told secondhand that an “irate” Trump tried to intervene after the Secret Service drove his presidential limousine away from the Capitol against his wishes. Hutchinson testified that he reached toward the front of the vehicle and attempted to grab the steering wheel.
After the agent stopped him, Hutchinson said, Trump lunged toward the agent.
Trump has rejected the account, while the limousine driver who was behind the wheel that day also disputed Hutchinson’s testimony.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the indictment. An attorney for Hutchinson did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.