Justice Department prosecutors on Tuesday tried and failed to win a grand jury indictment of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, according to two people familiar with the matter. Her testimony about President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot had made her a central witness for the House committee that investigated the attack.
In her 2022 testimony, Hutchinson said Trump knew violence was possible that day but still chose to go ahead with a speech directing supporters to the Capitol. She also said Trump grew angry when told supporters were carrying weapons and had been stopped at security checkpoints. Others who were with the president that day have disputed parts of her account, including her description of his efforts to move his motorcade toward the Capitol.
CNN reported that some inside the department believed there was not enough evidence for a viable criminal case and worried it would look like an effort to target one of Trump’s perceived enemies. Lawmakers from both parties have also urged the department to drop the investigation, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, who called it “lawfare” directed by the president.
Former special counsel Jack Smith told Congress earlier this year that Hutchinson was not a powerful witness, in part because many of her accounts were secondhand. Hutchinson also claimed that former deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato told her Trump lunged at a Secret Service member, a claim Ornato and others have denied.
The story is developing, and the outlet said it will be updated.
