A federal grand jury declined to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to President Donald Trump, after the Department of Justice alleged she lied to Congress in her testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee in 2022.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division presented the case to a federal grand jury, which typically consists of 16 to 23 members, but the panel rejected the effort, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Hutchinson was a key part of the House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation into Trump’s actions during and leading up to the 2021 Capitol riot, offering some of the most damaging accounts that were disputed by other witnesses.
The DOJ first launched its inquiry into Hutchinson earlier this year under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a unique decision as matters involving perjury are typically conducted as criminal matters by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C.
At the time, the DOJ was led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was later replaced by Trump with Todd Blanche, the president’s lawyer in criminal cases pursued by special counsel Jack Smith that included matters related to Jan. 6.
The investigation reportedly stems from a criminal referral submitted by retiring Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), a staunch Trump supporter who accused her of providing false testimony to the Jan. 6 committee during her televised testimony in June 2022.
It is not clear what particular parts of Hutchinson’s testimony were being investigated, but one of the most damning anecdotes of Jan. 6 she recounted to the committee was the claim that Trump seized control of a presidential vehicle from a Secret Service agent after being told he could not accompany a crowd of his supporters as they marched to the Capitol building.
During the Capitol riots, Hutchinson was serving as an aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
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Trump has denied any wrongdoing for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, and has rejected claims that he incited a riot at the Capitol and stands by claims the election was rigged.
After returning to office in January 2025, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of the Jan. 6 rioters who were charged and convicted under the Biden administration.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
