DOJ fails to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, a key Jan. 6 witness
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Cassidy Hutchinson is sworn for a hearing at the US Capitol on June 28, 2022. Photo: Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images.
The Justice Department failed to secure an indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide who testified about President Trump's actions on Jan. 6, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.
Why it matters: The grand jury's refusal to indict Hutchinson is another blow to the DOJ in its ongoing effort to prosecute President Trump's perceived political enemies.
The latest: A Justice Department lawyer told a magistrate judge Tuesday that a grand jury could not agree on an indictment, according to the Washington Post.
- The lawyer, whom the Post identified as Neville S. Hedley, the division's acting senior litigation counsel, did not say who the indictment referenced, but multiple sources told the Post and other outlets that it relates to Hutchinson.
Catch up quick: Hutchinson's 2022 testimony before Congress revealed several bombshells about the Trump administration's actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021.
- She testified that she had been told Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent who refused to drive him to the Capitol, that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed, and that former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows had been warned of potential violence on Capitol Hill.
- She also described Trump's reluctance to call on his supporters to back down as violence unfolded at the Capitol.
Zoom out: Republicans have long disputed Hutchinson's testimony, and Secret Service agents she identified as familiar with the events of that day have also said they do not recall some of the incidents she described.
- Earlier this year, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) sent a criminal referral of Hutchinson to the Justice Department for investigation. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) co-signed it.
- Criminal referrals are recommendations to the Justice Department and do not necessarily indicate criminal wrongdoing or result in charges.
The intrigue: In a break from precedent, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, led by Trump loyalist Harmeet Dhillon, conducted Hutchinson's investigation, according to the New York Times.
- The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., currently led by Jeanine Pirro, typically handles investigations into allegations of lying to Congress.
- The Times noted that Pirro has struggled to secure indictments against Trump's perceived enemies, with several high-profile cases faltering after evidence proved thinner than initially believed.
Go deeper: Red-meat retribution: Trump escalates campaign against MAGA foes
