The Justice Department is seeking a federal criminal indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee made her one of the most prominent witnesses of that investigation, according to Punchbowl News reporter Laura Weiss.
Weiss reported Thursday that DOJ’s Civil Rights Division presented evidence to a federal grand jury on Tuesday as part of an effort to charge Hutchinson with lying to Congress during her June 28, 2022 testimony about the events of January 6, 2021. Sources familiar with the plans told Weiss the department expects to bring additional evidence and witnesses before the grand jury later this month. Hutchinson has not been subpoenaed to appear before the panel.
Hutchinson worked as a special assistant to President Trump and an aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows during the first Trump administration. She became a central witness for the House Select Committee investigating January 6, delivering testimony that drew national attention.
The Contested Testimony
Among her most widely reported claims was an account that President Trump became enraged at a Secret Service agent and lunged for the steering wheel of the vehicle he was riding in. Hutchinson did not witness the incident herself; she testified to what she said someone else had told her. The claim has since been disputed.
Hutchinson has been under federal investigation for possible false statements connected to her testimony. Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, who chairs the House Administration Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, released a 2024 report concluding that several of Hutchinson’s most dramatic claims were contradicted by other evidence. Loudermilk later referred Hutchinson to the Justice Department over the possible false statements, a referral that appears to have helped set the current grand jury proceedings in motion.
No charges have been filed. The grand jury process is ongoing, with DOJ expected to continue presenting evidence and witnesses in the coming weeks.
