By Karim Hammam
A Washington grand jury has declined to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House staffer whose testimony about Donald Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021, became a defining moment of the House investigation into the Capitol insurrection. The decision, delivered Tuesday, was described as a defeat for the Justice Department by two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Grand Jury Decision
Grand jurors in the nation's capital rejected prosecutors' request to indict Hutchinson. It is highly unusual for grand juries to decline to return indictments, but citizens in Washington have rebuked the Justice Department under Trump in several high-profile cases. Earlier this year, a Washington grand jury declined to indict Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to follow military protocols and reject unlawful orders.
Hutchinson's Testimony
Hutchinson gave explosive testimony at a surprise 2022 House committee hearing, describing an angry, defiant president who tried to let armed protesters avoid security screenings at a rally protesting his 2020 election loss. She testified that Trump later grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to take him to the Capitol, and that he declined to intervene as the crowd chanted "Hang Mike Pence." Her account was partially contradicted by a 2024 transcript of the presidential limo driver, who said Trump never grabbed the wheel but corroborated his insistence on going to the Capitol.
Political Context
The failed effort to indict Hutchinson is part of a surge in politically sensitive Justice Department actions ahead of the midterm elections targeting perceived adversaries of the president. Those actions include a new attempt to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and a federal search of the home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Hutchinson declined to comment through her lawyer on Tuesday.
Background
Hutchinson, a native of Pennington, New Jersey, previously worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and interned for Republicans including Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. The House impeached Trump in 2021 for inciting the Capitol attack, but the Senate acquitted him. The Justice Department under Biden later charged Trump with felony offenses related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but special counsel Jack Smith abandoned the case after Trump's 2024 presidential victory.
