A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., declined on Tuesday to indict Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide who emerged as a pivotal witness against President Donald Trump during the congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
A senior U.S. official confirmed the outcome to NBC News, noting that the grand jury returned a “no bill,” effectively rejecting the Justice Department’s request to bring criminal charges against Hutchinson. While the decision was not announced in open court using her name, the official confirmed the proceeding was linked to the case against the former aide.
The Justice Department’s effort centered on statements Hutchinson made during her 2022 testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee. Hutchinson, who served as a senior aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, provided damaging accounts of the president’s behavior leading up to and during the Capitol riot. Her testimony included assertions that Trump pushed for the removal of metal detectors for rally attendees—claiming he didn’t care if they had weapons because “they’re not here to hurt me”—and a disputed account involving a physical altercation in the presidential limousine.
President Trump has consistently targeted Hutchinson, branding her a “scam artist” and repeatedly suggesting she be prosecuted for perjury. The pursuit of an indictment against her was spearheaded by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, currently led by Harmeet Dhillon.
This rejection is the latest in a series of failed attempts by the Justice Department to secure indictments against figures Trump has identified as political enemies. Similar efforts involving New York Attorney General Letitia James and several Democratic members of Congress have ended without charges, leading the chief federal judge in Washington to implement a new policy requiring the department to notify magistrate judges whenever a grand jury denies an indictment.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has previously defended the department’s aggressive posture, suggesting that failed indictments do not necessarily indicate a lack of merit in the investigations. “It could be that the grand jury just made the wrong decision,” Blanche told NBC News in April. “The grand jurors don’t get everything right.”
The grand jury’s refusal to move forward does not legally prevent the Justice Department from attempting to bring charges against Hutchinson at a later date. Neither Hutchinson’s legal team nor the Justice Department immediately responded to requests for comment regarding Tuesday’s decision.
The failed prosecution comes as Trump continues a broader effort to reshape the public narrative surrounding the January 6 attack. Since returning to office, the president has granted pardons to individuals convicted in connection with the riot and has sought to distance his administration from the actions of those who stormed the Capitol.
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