Grand Jury Rejects Case Against Cassidy Hutchinson
Federal prosecutors failed to secure an indictment for the former White House aide over her Jan. 6 testimony, ending a probe that began with a congressional referral.
By Tunde Bailey ·
A federal grand jury has declined to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide who testified about events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Four sources briefed on the proceedings confirmed that the panel did not return a true bill against Hutchinson. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, which led the investigation, had sought the indictment but was unable to secure the jury's concurrence. The agency has not yet provided a formal comment on the decision.
The development surfaced during a court hearing on Tuesday regarding an unrelated matter. Neville Hedley, a litigator with the Civil Rights Division, informed U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui that the grand jury had not agreed to the proposed charges. While Hedley did not name the defendant in open court, multiple sources identified the subject of the inquiry as Hutchinson.
Hutchinson served as a senior aide to Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff. She drew intense scrutiny from President Trump’s allies after her 2022 testimony before the House select committee. During that testimony, she stated that Trump and Meadows were warned on Jan. 6 that some supporters were armed. Hutchinson said Trump dismissed the warning and attempted to have magnetometers removed from the rally venue.
She also recounted a story told to her by Tony Ornato, then the White House deputy chief of staff. Ornato allegedly said that Trump became angry in a car after his lead Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol. Hutchinson testified that Trump lunged at the steering wheel during that episode. Trump’s driver later contradicted this account in sworn testimony, claiming the president never tried to grab the wheel.
The investigation began after House Republican allies of the president referred Hutchinson’s case to the Justice Department. CBS News could not determine the specific parts of her testimony that prosecutors focused on during their review. The Washington Post first reported that the grand jury had rejected the indictment.
