The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a move that escalates the administration’s efforts to hold accountable those who sought to tarnish President Donald Trump‘s legacy.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner that an inquiry involving Hutchinson, first reported by the New York Times on Tuesday, is underway, though the source declined to discuss specifics. The source added that there are “a few strong arguments” supporting the decision to open the investigation.
The investigation is focused on whether Hutchinson committed perjury during her high-profile 2022 testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee, where she delivered some of the most damaging firsthand accounts about Trump’s actions leading up to the Capitol riot, which were later disputed by other witnesses.
According to the New York Times, the investigation was initiated in recent weeks and is being handled by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
The decision to route the matter through that division is unusual, as allegations of lying to Congress are typically handled as criminal matters by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C.
That office, currently led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, was not given the opportunity to pursue the case, according to the report. Pirro has faced difficulties advancing certain politically sensitive prosecutions in federal court, adding to questions about the department’s handling of the matter.
The investigation reportedly stems from a criminal referral submitted last month by a Trump ally in Congress. That referral was made by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), a staunch Trump supporter who accused her of providing false testimony to the Jan. 6 committee during her televised testimony in June 2022.
Hutchinson, now 29, played a central role in shaping public understanding of Trump’s conduct on Jan. 6. The former White House aide told lawmakers that Trump had encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol despite being aware of the possibility of violence. She also recounted hearing that Trump became physically agitated in a presidential vehicle after being told he could not accompany the crowd — a claim that other witnesses countered in their own testimony.
The timing of the investigation has also drawn scrutiny. According to the New York Times, the inquiry began as then-Attorney General Pam Bondi was attempting to stave off her ouster, which came anyway when Trump announced her removal last week. Trump replaced Bondi on April 2 with his former personal defense attorney, Todd Blanche.
In his first press conference this week, acting Attorney General Blanche defended against criticism by Democrats and the media that Trump has somehow violated ethical guidelines by seeking investigations into people who had previously targeted him with prosecutions.
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“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now,” Blanche said Tuesday. “It is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated. That is his right and indeed it is his duty to do that, meaning to lead this country.”
It remains unclear what steps, if any, the Civil Rights Division will ultimately take as part of the inquiry into Hutchinson, or how prosecutors intend to navigate the unorthodox approach to handling a case that would ordinarily be prosecuted by a different DOJ office.