The US Justice Department has failed to secure a grand jury indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide who delivered damaging testimony about President Donald Trump’s actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to the Associated Press.
A grand jury in Washington rejected prosecutors’ request to indict Hutchinson, two people familiar with the matter told the AP on Tuesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the case publicly.
The allegations against Hutchinson were not immediately clear. However, Republican lawmakers had previously accused her of lying under oath during her testimony before the House committee investigating the Capitol attack in 2022.
The failed indictment is the latest setback for the Justice Department in its attempts to pursue politically sensitive cases in Washington. The department has also faced difficulties securing indictments in other high-profile matters involving individuals perceived as opponents of Trump.
Hutchinson, who served as a special assistant to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, delivered testimony that drew significant attention because of her proximity to Trump during the events of January 6.
She told the House committee that Trump had been angry and defiant after losing the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. Hutchinson also testified that Trump wanted to join his supporters at the Capitol despite objections from the Secret Service.
One of her most controversial claims concerned an alleged confrontation inside the presidential sport utility vehicle. Hutchinson said she had heard from a White House security official that Trump grabbed the steering wheel after being told he could not go to the Capitol. She acknowledged that she had not witnessed the incident herself.
Trump denied much of her account at the time, describing Hutchinson as a “total phony” and “bad news” on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The account was subsequently challenged by testimony from a Secret Service officer who drove the vehicle. A transcript released by House Republicans in March 2024 showed that the driver said he had not seen the alleged confrontation and that Trump “never grabbed the steering wheel”. However, the driver corroborated other aspects of Hutchinson’s account, including Trump’s attempt to reach the Capitol.
Hutchinson also testified that members of Trump’s inner circle had offered potential job opportunities and financial assistance while she was cooperating with the congressional investigation. She further alleged that her own lawyer had advised her that “the less you remember, the better”.
The House impeached Trump in 2021 over allegations that he incited the January 6 attack, but the Senate acquitted him. A separate federal prosecution over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results was abandoned after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.
An attorney for Hutchinson did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for comment on Tuesday.
