DOJ’s civil rights division is pursuing a potential criminal case against Cassidy Hutchinson, an ex-White House aide. Her testimony about Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, became a major part of the congressional investigation into the Capitol attack. Hutchinson used to serve as an aide to the former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
Donald Trump’s Justice Department is seeking an indictment of the former Mark Meadows aide
The reported move is unusual because prosecutors typically leave such investigations to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The New York Times reported in April that the civil rights division had been assigned to investigate Cassidy Hutchinson. She also disclosed in court filings connected to a separate case that the Justice Department was investigating her (via The Guardian).
As a top aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson became a key witness in the congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack. In her testimony, she recounted a story she said came from the deputy chief of staff for operations. She said Donald Trump allegedly refused to return to the White House and attempted to seize the steering wheel of his SUV so he could travel with supporters heading toward the Capitol. Republicans have repeatedly challenged Hutchinson’s account.
The report surfaced Thursday through Punchbowl News, which first disclosed that the Justice Department was seeking an indictment. Officials have not publicly verified the effort. Asked about the matter, a department spokesperson declined to shed light on whether an investigation was underway, stating, “The department does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, or the lack thereof.”
The reported move follows a pair of high-profile cases involving people who have clashed with Trump. In 2025, federal prosecutors brought charges against former FBI Director James Comey over alleged false statements to Congress and accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of mortgage fraud. Both cases later fell apart when a judge threw out the indictments, ruling that the prosecutor responsible for the cases had been appointed unlawfully.
The legal battle has since taken another turn, with prosecutors bringing fresh charges against Comey over a social media photo showing seashells arranged to form the number-and-digit combination “8647.”
