Grand jury declines to indict ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over Jan. 6 testimony

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., declined to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her 2022 testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee, according to reports published Tuesday that cited people briefed on the proceedings. The Washington Post first reported the decision. Prosecutors in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, had sought to charge her with making false statements, and began presenting evidence to the grand jury earlier in October. Senior DOJ lawyer Neville Hadley told Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in open court Tuesday afternoon that the grand jury had rejected the requested indictment, without naming Hutchinson, according to The Post. The inquiry began earlier this year under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and reportedly stems from a criminal referral by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who accused Hutchinson of false testimony. Hutchinson acknowledged late last month that she was the target of a federal investigation. The Justice Department had not responded to requests for comment.

Left-leaning outlets CBS News and MS NOW keep to the core news: the grand jury refused, prosecutors alleged false statements, and the information came from sources, with CBS citing four people briefed and noting the DOJ had not commented. Their headlines are straightforward and carry no political framing. Right-leaning outlets, the Daily Mail and Washington Examiner, report the same outcome but add more background on the investigation: Bondi's launch of the probe, Dhillon's role, the Loudermilk referral, and the unusual choice of the Civil Rights Division over the local U.S. attorney's office. The Examiner says her account was disputed by other witnesses, and the Daily Mail recounts details of her testimony about Trump's reaction in his vehicle. Both sides agree on the outcome and the Civil Rights Division's role. They differ in emphasis: the left centers on the rejected charge, while the right centers on the probe's origins and the contested testimony. Axios, labeled alternative, stands apart by calling the outcome a blow to DOJ efforts to prosecute Trump's perceived political enemies.