Grand Jury Declines to Indict Former White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson Over Jan. 6 Testimony

Federal prosecutors were rebuffed in their effort to secure an indictment against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony concerning the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to four sources briefed on the grand jury proceedings. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division handled the investigation, which originated following a referral from House Republican allies of the former president.

The outcome of the grand jury proceedings became public during a court hearing when Neville Hedley, a litigator with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, informed U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui that the grand jury had not concurred on a proposed indictment. While Hedley did not identify the target during the proceeding, multiple sources subsequently confirmed that the subject of the investigation was Hutchinson.

Hutchinson served as a top aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and drew intense scrutiny and criticism from Donald Trump’s allies and political base following her appearance before the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack in 2022. During her depositions and public testimony, she detailed internal White House discussions and warnings leading up to and during the events of January 6.

Among her key claims before the congressional panel, Hutchinson testified that both Trump and Meadows were explicitly warned on the morning of January 6 that members of the crowd attending the Ellipse rally were carrying weapons. According to her testimony, Trump responded that he did not care and attempted to direct officials to remove magnetometers from the rally site. She also testified that Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol, where lawmakers were convening to certify the 2020 election results, telling the crowd that he would join them.

Hutchinson additionally relayed an account told to her by then-White House Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato regarding an incident inside the presidential vehicle after the speech. She testified that Ornato said Trump became angry when his lead Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol, and that Trump lunged toward the steering wheel.

That specific allegation became a focal point of debate and was later challenged by other White House personnel. The vehicle’s driver provided sworn testimony contradicting Hutchinson’s account, stating that the president never attempted to grab the steering wheel. Federal investigators did not specify which particular aspects of Hutchinson’s congressional testimony were scrutinized by the grand jury during the probe.

The Justice Department has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the grand jury’s decision.