Federal prosecutors have been hauling evidence before a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to figure out whether former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson lied to Congress about what she saw and heard around January 6, 2021. Two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News about the grand jury activity, which was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Hutchinson, who worked for then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, became a star witness for the House January 6 committee back in 2022. She gave a series of depositions and public testimony that made her a hero to the left and a villain to just about everyone else in Trump’s orbit.
Her biggest headline was a story she said she heard secondhand from then-White House deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato. According to Hutchinson, Ornato told her that President Trump lunged at the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle after his lead Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol following his speech on the Ellipse. Trump had told supporters at that speech, “after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you.” The steering wheel story spread like wildfire through every major newsroom in America, which tells you something.
There’s just one problem. Trump’s actual driver gave sworn testimony claiming the president never tried to grab the steering wheel. Prosecutors are now apparently very interested in that gap between what Hutchinson said and what the driver swore to. the Cassidy Hutchinson grand jury investigation CBS News could not determine precisely which parts of her testimony are under the microscope.
Some might call her testimony fake news. Maybe she wanted to get her five minutes of fame, but it seems like things could go much worse if Trump has his way.
Republican allies in the House made the referral to the Justice Department, according to media reports. And here’s where it gets a little strange: the Civil Rights Division is handling the Hutchinson investigation, not the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., where this kind of case would normally land. Nobody is explaining why that division drew the assignment.
CBS News reached out to Hutchinson’s counsel for comment. As of the report, no response had been provided. Her lawyers are presumably very busy right now.
Grand jury proceedings can drag on for a while, so an indictment isn’t guaranteed. But the fact that prosecutors are actively presenting evidence is a significant step. Hutchinson was celebrated by the media as a brave truth-teller. If a grand jury decides her truth-telling had some gaps in it, that’s going to be an awkward conversation on a lot of cable news sets. Drop your thoughts in the comments or share this on social media, because something tells us people have opinions.
