A grand jury declined to indict former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson after she testified about President Donald Trump’s conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The Justice Department is seeking to prosecute Hutchinson for reasons that have not been made clear because the case is confidential, but President Trump and Republicans have previously accused her of lying under oath when she testified before a House committee around January 6. A source close to the case confirmed to The Associated Press that the grand jury declined to indict but provided few details:
Washington grand jury rejects prosecutor’s request to return indictment Cassidy HutchinsonThe people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Details of prosecutors’ charges against Hutchinson are unclear, but Republican lawmakers have accused her of lying under oath during explosive 2022 testimony about Trump’s actions on January 6.
She described an angry, defiant president who tried to get armed protesters past security checks at a rally protesting his 2020 election defeat that morning and who later grabbed the steering wheel of the president’s SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol. Crowds chanted as events at Capitol escalated into violence “Hang Mike Pence” She testified that Trump refused to intervene.
However, Hutchinson acknowledged during her testimony that she was merely relaying information she received from White House security officials and stressed that she was not a personal witness.
Trump called Hutchinson a “total liar” and “bad news” and denied her accusations.
In 2024, House Republicans also released the transcript of the committee’s January 6 interview with the Secret Service officer who drove the president’s SUV, which contradicted some of Hutchinson’s claims. While the driver did say President Trump insisted on going to the Capitol during the riot, he denied that the president tried to grab the wheel.
“You know, I didn’t see him rush into the front seat at all,” the driver said.
According to Fox News, a federal grand jury “heard evidence regarding possible false statements” Hutchinson made to congressional committees.
“The grand jury’s decision not to indict Hutchinson does not establish the truthfulness of her congressional testimony. Hutchinson has previously maintained that she stands by her testimony,” it added.