Grand Jury Rejects Indictment of Former White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson

A federal grand jury voted on Tuesday not to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The decision ended a federal effort to charge Hutchinson in connection with her testimony regarding the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Neville Hedley, a litigator for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, informed U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui during a hearing that the grand jury did not concur on the proposed indictment. Hedley did not identify the defendant in open court, but multiple sources briefed on the proceedings confirmed the case involved Hutchinson. The Justice Department has not yet responded to requests for comment on the outcome.

The Washington Post was the first outlet to report that the grand jury declined to move forward with charges. The investigation was referred to the Justice Department by House Republican allies of President Trump. While the precise elements of Hutchinson's testimony under scrutiny were not publicly disclosed, the case centered on her 2022 testimony before the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack.

Hutchinson's testimony angered President Trump and his political base. She stated that Trump and Meadows were warned on January 6 that some supporters were carrying weapons. According to Hutchinson, Trump said he did not care about the weapons and attempted to order officials to remove magnetometers at a rally where he spoke that morning.

Hutchinson also recounted a story shared by then-White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato. Ornato reportedly told Hutchinson that Trump became enraged when his lead Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol immediately after his speech. Trump had encouraged the crowd to march to the Capitol, stating, "after this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you." Hutchinson testified that Trump lunged at the steering wheel during the drive. Trump's driver later provided sworn testimony claiming the president never attempted to grab the wheel.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division handled the investigation throughout the process. The grand jury's decision marks the conclusion of the specific indictment effort, though the department has not announced any immediate next steps beyond the standard legal procedure following a non-indictment.