The Department of Justice is reportedly seeking criminal charges against Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide whose explosive Jan. 6 testimony came under scrutiny after Secret Service witnesses disputed one of her most dramatic accounts.
Federal prosecutors are seeking an indictment against Hutchinson for allegedly lying to Congress about President Donald Trump’s actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to Punchbowl News’ Laura Weiss.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division presented evidence to a federal grand jury Tuesday and plans to introduce additional witnesses and evidence later this month, Weiss reported on X, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Hutchinson has not been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, the outlet reported Thursday.
Hutchinson, a former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, became a central witness in the congressional investigation of Jan. 6 after testifying that former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato told her Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle and lunged toward a Secret Service agent. Her secondhand account was later challenged by testimony from the vehicle’s driver, who said he did not witness the alleged physical confrontation.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the DOJ and Hutchinson’s representatives for comment but did not immediately receive replies.
During her June 2022 testimony, Hutchinson recounted being told that Trump became furious when Secret Service agents refused to take him to the Capitol and attempted to grab the steering wheel. She attributed the account to Ornato rather than claiming to have witnessed the confrontation herself.
However, Secret Service personnel who were inside the vehicle disputed the account when interviewed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The inspector general’s findings indicated that the vehicle’s driver recalled Trump being irate after his request to visit the Capitol was denied, but witnesses interviewed by investigators said the president did not grab the steering wheel or lunge toward his protective detail.
Hutchinson’s testimony had already drawn scrutiny from House Republicans. In January 2024, Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia demanded that Hutchinson preserve and produce documents, communications and other records related to her testimony.
Loudermilk questioned why Hutchinson had not mentioned the alleged presidential vehicle confrontation during three earlier interviews with congressional investigators before recounting it during the committee’s televised hearing.
The Georgia Republican warned that he would subpoena Hutchinson if she refused to turn over the requested records.
The reported grand jury proceedings mark a potential escalation from congressional scrutiny to a federal criminal investigation. Prosecutors would have to establish that any allegedly false statement met the elements of a federal offense, including the applicable knowledge and materiality requirements.
The DOJ has not publicly announced an indictment against Hutchinson as of Thursday afternoon. A grand jury investigation does not establish criminal wrongdoing, and Hutchinson is presumed innocent of any alleged offense.
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