A federal grand jury in Washington refused to indict Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter
The case concerns Hutchinson’s testimony before a congressional panel probing the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol
A federal prosecutor disclosed the grand jury’s decision during a court hearing before US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui
A federal grand jury has refused to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The move deals a setback to the Trump administration's effort to pursue her over testimony about the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Hutchinson appeared before the congressional panel that examined the Capitol assault by supporters of President Donald Trump. The Justice Department under Trump has been looking into whether she lied to that panel. Hutchinson has maintained that her testimony was truthful.
The decision surfaced during a court hearing. A federal prosecutor told US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui that a grand jury in Washington had rejected an indictment. The prosecutor did not identify in court the proposed defendant or the charges, according to Reuters.
January 6 Background
The investigation into Hutchinson sits within the wider fallout from the Capitol attack. After weeks of Trump's false claims that he had won the 2020 elections, his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from certifying those election results.
The congressional panel before which Hutchinson testified was probing that attack by Trump's supporters. Her account later became part of the broader political and legal battle over what happened before and during the assault on the Capitol.
Political experts have raised concerns about efforts by the Trump administration to target critics and political opponents. Trump has described Hutchinson as a "scam artist" and suggested that she be prosecuted. In a 2022 post on Truth Social, he wrote, "What is the Justice Department going to do about this?"
Justice Department Case
The inquiry remains open. A second source said the grand jury considering evidence in the case had been meeting on Tuesday but did not know whether the indictment had been rejected.
In court, the prosecutor disclosed only that a Washington grand jury had turned down an indictment. The prosecutor did not reveal the proposed defendant or the charges during the hearing before Faruqui.
Officials in the Civil Rights Division brought Hutchinson's case, and Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump appointee, heads the unit. The grand jury's decision not to indict her still leaves the Justice Department free to seek charges again. Hutchinson has maintained that her testimony was truthful.
Trump-Era Precedent
Trump has already moved broadly in January 6 cases. On his first day back in office for a second term in January 2025, he pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged with taking part in the 2021 Capitol attack.
That followed an earlier case against Trump himself. Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and his team secured an indictment in 2023, accusing Trump of plotting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
Smith later dropped that case and another one after Trump won the 2024 election. He cited a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
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