Grand Jury Votes 0 to 12 Against Indicting Cassidy Hutchinson

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., voted unanimously to reject the proposed indictment against former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

The decision ended a criminal probe that had focused on Hutchinson's account of the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Four sources briefed on the proceedings confirmed that the panel did not concur on the government's case. The Justice Department had not issued a public response to requests for comment by the time of the vote.

Neville Hedley, a litigator for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, revealed the outcome during a hearing on an unrelated matter on Tuesday. Addressing U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, Hedley stated that the grand jury had not agreed to the indictment. He did not name the defendant in open court, but multiple sources identified Hutchinson as the target of the investigation.

Hutchinson served as a senior assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during the final months of Donald Trump's first term. She drew sharp criticism from the president's allies after testifying before the House select committee in 2022. In her depositions and testimony, she claimed that Trump and Meadows received warnings that some supporters were bringing weapons to the Capitol on January 6. She said Trump expressed indifference to the threat and attempted to order officials to remove magnetometers at the rally site.

Hutchinson also recounted a story she attributed to then-deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato. According to her testimony, Trump became angry in a Secret Service vehicle because his lead agent would not drive him to the Capitol after his speech on the White House Ellipse. During that address, Trump told supporters, "after this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you." She testified that Trump lunged at the steering wheel during the drive. This account was later disputed by the president's driver, who stated under oath that the president never tried to grab the wheel.

The investigation was referred to the Justice Department by House Republican allies of the president. It remains unclear which specific portions of Hutchinson's testimony prompted the referral. The grand jury's vote signals that prosecutors did not present enough evidence to a panel of citizens to support a formal criminal charge against the former aide.