DOJ Presents Grand Jury Evidence to Indict Former Trump Aide Cassidy Hutchinson

Federal prosecutors are presenting evidence to a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to examine whether former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson committed perjury during her testimony before Congress regarding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to sources familiar with the matter. The probe reportedly stems from a referral submitted to the Department of Justice by Republican allies in the House of Representatives seeking to challenge Hutchinson's credibility.

Hutchinson, who served as an aide to then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, delivered high-profile depositions and televised testimony to the House select committee in 2022. She alleged that Donald Trump knew supporters were armed and demanded officials remove metal detectors. She also claimed former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato told her Trump lunged at the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle when Secret Service agents refused to take him to the Capitol, where he had told his rally crowd, "after this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you."

Her detailed claims drew fierce pushback from Trump allies and were later contradicted in sworn testimony by the driver of the presidential SUV, who claimed Trump never attempted to seize the steering wheel. Federal investigators have not publicly detailed which specific statements made by Hutchinson under oath are under scrutiny. The inquiry has taken an unusual jurisdictional turn, as it is being handled by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division rather than the local U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington.

Legal representatives for Hutchinson have not yet publicly responded to the development, which was first reported by Punchbowl News. The grand jury's proceedings will determine whether formal perjury or false-statement indictments are returned against the former aide, marking a significant legal and political escalation surrounding past congressional investigations into the Capitol riot.