The Justice Department is pursuing a federal criminal indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump White House aide who testified before the House January 6th Committee, according to a report Thursday from Punchbowl News.
Punchbowl News reporter Laura Weiss broke the news on social media, writing that the DOJ is seeking charges against Hutchinson for allegedly lying to Congress during her Jan. 6 testimony.
According to Weiss, the department’s Civil Rights Division presented evidence to a federal grand jury on Tuesday. Sources familiar with the plans told Punchbowl News that prosecutors are expected to bring more evidence and additional witnesses before the grand jury later this month.
Hutchinson has not been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, according to the sources.
The development comes less than a week after a report suggesting that pressure on the administration’s top law enforcement officials has been building. The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick reported last Friday that the jobs of Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel could be at risk if they do not deliver indictments of people President Donald Trump has long viewed as his political enemies. Hutchinson was among those named.
“The president wants indictments. He wants people in handcuffs. He wants the headlines,” one former official told Fitzpatrick.
The same former official said Trump wants results “no matter how thin” the facts may be.
Another source pointed to the manpower and money that both the DOJ and the FBI have devoted to the investigations.
“They’ve spent so much money on this. They’re going to have to come up with something,” the source told Fitzpatrick.
Trump has repeatedly called for Hutchinson to face prosecution. In a March 2024 post on Truth Social, the then-former president went after her account of his conduct.
“Our great Secret Service has totally CRUSHED Cassidy Hutchinson’s (who I barely knew) made up (FAKE!) stories about me roughing up Secret Service Agents from the back seat of the Beast (Limo),” Trump wrote.
“Has she now changed her testimony? Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?” he continued.
Trump also took aim at the House panel that heard her testimony.
“What about the Unselect J6 Committee. They destroyed almost everything, including real evidence and findings. What’s going to happen with them – Serious crimes have been committed?” he wrote.
Hutchinson previously worked as an aide to Mark Meadows, who served as White House chief of staff. In her testimony before the House January 6th Committee, she helped explain Trump’s actions on the day of the Capitol riot, including why he was slow to respond as pro-MAGA rioters sacked the Capitol.
The Justice Department’s effort marks a significant step in a matter Trump has pressed publicly for years. With the Civil Rights Division having already gone before the grand jury on Tuesday, and more evidence and witnesses expected to follow later this month, the case against the former White House aide appears to be moving forward.
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