Prosecutors seek charges against former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

Federal prosecutors are presenting evidence to a Washington grand jury as they consider whether to charge Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack drew national attention, with lying to Congress.

Two people familiar with the matter told CBS News that prosecutors were examining whether Hutchinson gave false testimony to the House committee that investigated the attack. Prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are seeking criminal charges, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Guardian. Neither outlet identified which statements prosecutors are scrutinizing.

“The department does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, or the lack thereof,” a Justice Department spokesperson told The Guardian. CBS News said it had contacted Hutchinson’s lawyer for comment.

Hutchinson was an aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s White House chief of staff. In depositions and public testimony in 2022, she described what she said senior officials knew and what she had been told about Trump’s actions on the day his supporters attacked the Capitol, where Congress was confirming the Electoral College results of the 2020 election.

She testified that Trump and Meadows had been warned that some supporters were carrying weapons toward the Capitol. Trump, she said, did not care and sought to have security magnetometers removed.

Hutchinson also recounted a story she said she heard from Tony Ornato, then the White House deputy chief of staff. According to her testimony, Trump became angry when his lead Secret Service agent would not drive him to the Capitol after he spoke to supporters at the White House Ellipse. In that speech, Trump encouraged them to go to the Capitol, saying, “after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you.” Hutchinson testified that Ornato told her Trump lunged at the steering wheel.

Trump’s driver later contradicted that account in sworn testimony, saying Trump had not tried to grab the wheel. Republicans have also long disputed Hutchinson’s account, The Guardian reported. CBS News said it could not determine whether prosecutors’ inquiry focuses on that testimony or another part of her statements to Congress.

The Civil Rights Division’s role is unusual because such an investigation would typically be handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, the outlets reported. CBS News said it was not immediately clear why the division had been assigned the case. The Guardian said The New York Times reported in April that division prosecutors had been tapped to investigate Hutchinson; it also reported that Hutchinson had said in filings in an unrelated case that she was under Justice Department investigation.

Punchbowl News first reported the recent grand jury activity. CBS News said media reports indicated Republican allies in the House had referred the matter to the Justice Department.