Grand Jury Declines to Charge Hutchinson Over Jan. 6 Testimony

WHO:

CNN - Cassidy Hutchinson was a former White House aide to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and a key witness for the House committee that investigated January 6.

CBS News Politics - Cassidy Hutchinson was the subject of the attempted indictment over her testimony concerning the Capitol riot.

CNN - Prosecutors at the Justice Department sought the indictment; two people familiar with the matter said the grand jury did not return one.

CNN - Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy called the investigation an act of “lawfare” directed by President Trump. Lawmakers from both parties had called for the investigation to be abandoned.

CNN - Former special counsel Jack Smith told members of Congress in a closed-door interview that Hutchinson was not a powerful witness in his investigation, partly because many of her accounts were secondhand.

CNN - Hutchinson said then-White House Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Ornato told her Trump lunged at a Secret Service member; Ornato and others denied the account.

CNN - Hutchinson’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

WHAT:

CNN - Federal prosecutors failed to secure a grand jury indictment against Hutchinson over her testimony about Trump’s role in the Capitol riot.

CBS News Politics - Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., failed to secure an indictment against Hutchinson over her January 6 testimony.

CNN - Hutchinson testified that Trump knew of the potential for violence but proceeded with his speech directing supporters to the Capitol.

CNN - Hutchinson said Trump grew angry after hearing that supporters carrying weapons, including guns and knives, had been stopped at security checkpoints. She recounted Trump saying: “I don’t effing care that they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take the effing mags away. Let my people in.”

CNN - Hutchinson described what she said were Trump’s efforts to force his motorcade toward the Capitol; others who were with Trump that day disputed her account.

WHERE:

CNN - The grand jury proceeding concerned Hutchinson’s testimony about the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

CBS News Politics - Federal prosecutors were in Washington, D.C.

WHY:

CNN - Some Justice Department officials believed there was insufficient evidence for a viable criminal case against Hutchinson and were concerned that pursuing one could be viewed as targeting another of Trump’s perceived enemies.

HOW:

CNN - Hutchinson’s account of Trump lunging at a Secret Service member was attributed to what Ornato allegedly told her; Ornato and others disputed it.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 23:15 UTC)

Federal prosecutors failed to secure a grand jury indictment against Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony about President Trump and the January 6 Capitol riot. A former White House aide and key witness to the House investigation, Hutchinson testified that Trump knew violence was possible and described his anger over weapons at security checkpoints, but some of her accounts were secondhand and were disputed by others. Justice Department officials questioned whether there was enough evidence for a viable case and worried that pursuing one could be seen as targeting one of Trump’s perceived enemies.