Another former Trump official who turned on the president following his first term appears to be in some legal hot water – but not because of political retribution.
The Justice Department has presented evidence to a federal grand jury investigating former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over possible false statements she made to Congress during the investigation of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Hutchinson, 29, became one of the House January 6 committee’s most prominent witnesses after delivering nationally televised testimony in June 2022 about President Donald Trump’s alleged actions before and during the unrest.
Federal prosecutors are now examining whether Hutchinson knowingly provided false testimony, although no charges have been filed yet.
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The investigation has reportedly focused on differences between Hutchinson’s congressional testimony, accounts provided by other witnesses and statements she later gave investigators working for former Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Prosecutors have considered possible perjury and obstruction charges, but they are not expected to seek an indictment until at least after the November 3 midterm elections, according to WIRED.
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The case is being handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, an unusual assignment because alleged false statements to Congress would ordinarily be handled by prosecutors specializing in criminal or public-corruption cases.
One of the most disputed portions of Hutchinson’s testimony involved an incident she said former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato described to her following Trump’s January 6 speech near the White House.
Hutchinson testified that Ornato told her Trump became furious after being informed that his Secret Service detail would not take him to the Capitol with his supporters.
According to Hutchinson’s secondhand account, Trump reached toward the steering wheel of the presidential SUV and then lunged toward Secret Service agent Bobby Engel.
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Hutchinson never claimed that she personally witnessed the encounter, but the allegation immediately became one of the most widely reported moments from the committee’s hearings.
🚨 The DOJ is seeking criminal charges for Cassidy Hutchinson who LIED under oath during the sham January 6th hearings.
Never forget Cassidy lied and said President Trump “Took the wheel” of the Beast.
She also coordinated her fake testimony with J6 chairman Liz Cheney and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
All should be charged.
— J (@JayTC53) October 8, 2026
The Secret Service agent who drove Trump that day later contradicted significant portions of the account, testifying that Trump never grabbed the steering wheel and that he did not see the president attempt to climb into the front seat.
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Other witnesses described Trump as angry about not being taken to the Capitol, but Hutchinson’s account of the alleged physical confrontation was not independently corroborated.
Trump has repeatedly denied Hutchinson’s account, while Republican lawmakers have spent years challenging her credibility and the January 6 committee’s handling of her testimony.
Republican Reps. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia and Jim Jordan of Ohio referred Hutchinson to the Justice Department for investigation earlier this year over allegations that she provided false testimony.
Investigators have also reportedly examined Hutchinson’s testimony concerning a handwritten note prepared during the Capitol riot that proposed language for Trump to release publicly.
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Hutchinson testified that she wrote the note as then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and then-White House attorney Eric Herschmann dictated language to her, but Herschmann subsequently maintained that he authored it.
A Republican-led House investigation later released an analysis from a questioned-document examiner that it said supported Herschmann’s account and contradicted Hutchinson’s claim of authorship.
Prosecutors are reportedly examining the note dispute along with other differences between Hutchinson’s various statements as they determine whether sufficient evidence exists to pursue criminal charges.
Hutchinson has consistently maintained that her congressional testimony was truthful, and her attorneys have not publicly responded in detail to the latest reports concerning the grand jury investigation.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
