Justice Department seeks criminal indictment of Cassidy Hutchinson for Jan. 6 testimony

The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet Dhillon, is seeking a federal criminal indictment against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson for allegedly lying to Congress during her 2022 January 6 committee testimony. A grand jury began hearing evidence on October 6, 2026. The probe, initiated by former Attorney General Pam Bondi following referrals from House Republicans, marks a highly unusual use of the Civil Rights Division and follows other controversial prosecutions of Trump's political rivals.

Indictment efforts against Cassidy Hutchinson

• ▪Prosecutors presented evidence against Cassidy Hutchinson to a federal grand jury on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and plan to present additional evidence and witnesses regarding her alleged lying to Congress
• ▪The United States Department of Justice is seeking a federal criminal indictment against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on charges of lying to Congress
• ▪Cassidy Hutchinson acknowledged late last month that she is the target of a federal criminal investigation and plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment right if compelled to testify

Civil Rights Division's role in the case

• ▪The United States Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet Dhillon, is overseeing the investigation into Cassidy Hutchinson's alleged lying to Congress about Jan. 6 and her potential indictment
• ▪The Civil Rights Division's handling of Cassidy Hutchinson's alleged false testimony to Congress is highly unusual, as the division traditionally focuses on discrimination cases rather than lying to Congress

Origins of the criminal investigation

• ▪The federal criminal investigation into Cassidy Hutchinson was initiated in 2026 by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi weeks before she departed the United States Department of Justice
• ▪Representative Barry Loudermilk sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department in March 2026 urging an investigation into Cassidy Hutchinson, with House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan signing off

Hutchinson's January 6 testimony and credibility

• ▪Special Counsel Jack Smith testified to a House panel last December that Cassidy Hutchinson provided secondhand hearsay and would not be a reliable witness for his prosecution of Donald Trump
• ▪Cassidy Hutchinson testified in June 2022 that Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle on January 6, 2021, after being told it was unsafe to join his supporters
• ▪Cassidy Hutchinson testified in June 2022 that she cleaned up a ketchup-stained wall after Donald Trump threw his plate in anger over Bill Barr's denial of 2020 election fraud
• ▪White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Anthony Ornato, the presidential vehicle driver, and Secret Service agents refuted Cassidy Hutchinson's 2022 testimony before the Jan. 6 committee that Donald Trump grabbed the steering wheel

Other prosecutions by the Trump Justice Department

• ▪The Trump Justice Department filed a new indictment against James Comey for posting a picture of seashells arranged to say '8647,' and has filed charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center and Don Lemon
• ▪In 2025, the Trump Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey for lying to Congress and New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud, both of which were dismissed

Debatable claims

• ▪Cassidy Hutchinson's January 6 testimony was reliable
• ▪The Civil Rights Division is an inappropriate venue for prosecuting congressional perjury
• ▪The Justice Department's criminal investigation of Cassidy Hutchinson is justified
• ▪U.S. presidents have a legitimate right to direct Justice Department investigations