Federal prosecutors have been presenting evidence to a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to determine if former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson committed perjury during her congressional testimony regarding the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News.
Hutchinson, who previously served as an aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, became a focal point of scrutiny after her 2022 testimony before the House committee investigating the Capitol attack. Her accounts drew significant backlash from supporters of President Donald Trump.
In her depositions and public statements, Hutchinson alleged that both Trump and Meadows were informed on January 6 that some supporters marching toward the Capitol were carrying weapons. She testified that Trump responded by saying he did not care and attempted to direct officials to disable the magnetometers at security checkpoints.
Additionally, Hutchinson shared a narrative attributed to then-White House Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato. According to her account, Trump became furious when his lead Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol following a speech to supporters on the White House Ellipse. During that address, Trump had urged the crowd to march to the Capitol, where Congress was in the process of certifying the Electoral College results from the 2020 election. He had told the crowd, “after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you.”
Hutchinson stated that Ornato told her Trump lunged for the steering wheel during the incident. However, this claim was later contradicted by Trump’s driver, who provided sworn testimony stating the former president never attempted to grab the wheel.
CBS News has been unable to confirm exactly which portions of Hutchinson’s testimony are under review by prosecutors. Media reports indicate that Republican allies in the House of Representatives referred the matter to the Justice Department.
The Civil Rights Division is handling the investigation, rather than the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which sources described as an unusual assignment. It remains unclear why that specific office was designated for the case. The recent surge in grand jury activity was initially reported by Punchbowl News.
CBS News has contacted Hutchinson’s legal counsel for comment but has not yet received a response.
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