A federal grand jury in Washington has declined to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over testimony she gave to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
The exact basis for the Justice Department’s request to prosecute has not been made public, as grand jury proceedings remain confidential. But the move comes after years of accusations from President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers that Hutchinson lied under oath during her 2022 testimony describing Trump’s conduct on the day of the riot.
Fox News reported that the grand jury had reviewed evidence concerning possible false statements Hutchinson made to the congressional committee. The outlet noted that the decision not to indict does not resolve the underlying question of whether her testimony was truthful.
“The grand jury’s decision not to indict Hutchinson does not establish whether her congressional testimony was truthful or false. Hutchinson has previously maintained that she stands by her testimony,” Fox News reported.
What Hutchinson Told the Committee
In her 2022 appearance before the January 6 Committee, Hutchinson described an angry and defiant president who sought to let armed supporters bypass security screening at a rally held to protest his 2020 election loss. She also testified that Trump grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV after the Secret Service refused to drive him to the Capitol, and that he declined to intervene as the crowd outside chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”
Hutchinson acknowledged during her testimony that she was relaying an account she had heard from a White House security official rather than something she witnessed firsthand.
Trump has repeatedly rejected her allegations, calling Hutchinson a “total phony” and “bad news.”
A Conflicting Account
In 2024, House Republicans released a transcript of the January 6 Committee’s interview with the Secret Service agent who was driving the presidential SUV that day. His account contradicted key elements of Hutchinson’s testimony. While he confirmed Trump was insistent on going to the Capitol, he disputed the claim that the president lunged for the wheel.
“I didn’t see him, you know, lunge to try to get into the front seat at all,” the driver said.
The grand jury’s refusal to indict closes out, at least for now, a prosecution effort that had drawn scrutiny over its unexplained rationale. Hutchinson has not withdrawn or altered her account.
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