The Justice Department has assigned its civil rights division to investigate former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, whose testimony to Congress about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol violence drew backlash from President Donald Trump.
The inquiry centers on allegations that Hutchinson may have lied to Congress and represents an unusual move by department leadership, reports The New York Times.
Typically, such investigations are handled by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., not the civil rights enforcement division, which typically focuses on matters such as discrimination or police misconduct.
Harmeet Dhillon, who has played a prominent role in advancing Trump administration policies, leads the civil rights division, while Jeanine Pirro is the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
The investigation comes after a referral from an unnamed Trump ally in Congress, who accused Hutchinson of providing false statements to the House committee that examined the Capitol attack.
Hutchinson, now 29, was an aide to Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff.
In her televised testimony in June 2022, Hutchinson said Trump encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol despite concerns about potential violence.
She also testified about claims that Trump attempted to join the crowd and became angry when prevented from doing so, including an allegation that he lunged at a Secret Service agent.
Later testimony contradicted parts of that account.
Some DOJ officials are questioning whether there is sufficient evidence to support a criminal case against Hutchinson, according to people familiar with internal discussions.
The investigation was initiated as then-Attorney General Pam Bondi sought to strengthen her standing with Trump by pursuing cases involving individuals he has criticized.
Bondi was removed from her post last week after failing to meet the president's expectations on advancing such efforts through the courts.
Trump named Todd Blanche, Bondi's former deputy, as acting attorney general.
At a news conference Tuesday, Blanche said the president has both the authority and the responsibility to call for investigations of individuals he believes warrant scrutiny.
Recent efforts by federal prosecutors in Washington to pursue cases involving Trump's political opponents have encountered setbacks.
Prosecutors earlier this year failed to secure an indictment against six Democrat lawmakers over a video about unlawful orders, and attempts to build cases involving former President Joe Biden and others have stalled.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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