House Republicans are calling for criminal charges against Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide whose testimony played a key role in the congressional Jan. 6 investigation into Donald Trump.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) formally referred Hutchinson to the Department of Justice, claiming she lied to Congress when she described Trump’s actions leading up to and during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Sources tell CNN that Loudermilk alleges Hutchinson knowingly misrepresented what she had heard about Trump’s awareness of potential violence and his continued incitement of supporters through false claims of election fraud.
Hutchinson, 29, served as the top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the end of Trump’s first term. During summer 2022, she testified before the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack. Her testimony included secondhand accounts that Trump attempted to reach the Capitol himself and became frustrated with Secret Service agents who blocked him from leaving the presidential limo.
Hutchinson also said she heard Trump resisted security protocols at his January 6 rally on the Ellipse, potentially allowing supporters to bypass checks for weapons. Some witnesses cited by the committee, including Secret Service officials, have said they do not recall her accounts, raising questions about the reliability of certain claims.
Loudermilk’s referral was co-signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who oversees the committee under which Loudermilk is conducting his own investigation into the January 6 events. Loudermilk has previously criticized the House select committee’s findings that Trump bore direct responsibility for the riot, calling for a reevaluation of its conclusions.
Former special counsel Jack Smith, whose office reviewed Hutchinson’s testimony for prosecutorial purposes, told Congress that her accounts were largely secondhand and differed from other witness recollections. Smith’s team did not consider her a strong witness for court proceedings but did evaluate her statements for context.
Hutchinson’s testimony remains a focal point in ongoing political battles over the events of January 6, and the House Republican push for prosecution highlights the continuing partisan divide over how the president and his aides are held accountable.
